For You? Anything
by Amuto4ev
Summary: Amu's characters have returned, Aruto has reunited with his family, and summer vacation is in full throttle. What's in store for Amu now? [Taking place directly where the manga (Ch.52) left off. With a focus on the relationship between Amu and Ikuto, but the exploration of others, too.]
1. Chapter 1

Surprise I'm back from the dead! I am as shocked as you if I'm being honest. Never thought I'd return to the hell that is fanfiction writing but I re-read Shugo Chara over the course of 4 days and I got sucked back in hardcore, so what did I do with those feelings? I decided to start another fic lol. This piece of work takes place directly after the last page in Encore (because I'm always a slut for fics that are as canon as possible). Amuto still courses strongly through my veins and into this fic. Anyways, I don't know if anyone even reads S.C fics anymore? But if you do, welcome [to hell]. Onwards!

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...

"Nice catch!"

"We're back, Amu-chan!"

I looked up in awe, I couldn't believe my eyes. Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia, they were back, after all this time.

"Everyone…" I felt tears well up in my eyes. I had started to think they'd never come out of their eggs, but to suddenly appear at a time like this, I was so happy. Ikuto's arm was still around me after my fall, and I clutched it tightly, unable to contain my excitement. I watched as they tossed the bouquet in the air once more, noting some of the confused faces that surrounded us. I heard some people muttering about how it was able to stay in the air for so long and how it managed to get thrown farther, but I didn't care. None of that technical stuff mattered right now. My characters, my friends, they were with me again. They drifted down to my level to greet me. I felt Ikuto release his hold on me and I raised my hands up to bring the four of them closer.

"You guys," I choked, pulling them into my chest. "I'm so happy you've come back," I cried into their tiny heads.

"Amu-chan, you're gonna get our hair all wet," Miki complained.

I shook my head and laughed. "You guys are gonna get drenched for all I care," they all giggled in response and I hugged them tighter. I never wanted to let them go for fear of losing them again.

"Welcome back, guys," I heard Ikuto say from behind me. I turned to look at him, as did my characters, and all I could do was smile. He responded with one in turn, but then his attention appeared to be drawn elsewhere. I was going to see where he was headed when Tadase chimed in.

"Congratulations, Amu," he said, and Kiseki floated over to talk to my hostages. I hesitated, and then decided to let them go. I felt in my heart that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Thank you," I replied. I marvelled at them as they talked with Kiseki, who was eventually joined by Kusukusu, Temari, and Rhythm. They were all chatting excitedly and there were so many conversations happening I could barely make sense of it all. I clutched my chest as I beamed at them, thinking how much brighter the future now looked.

Shortly after their arrivals, Rima and Nagihiko showed up. In the midst of my characters reappearances, I almost forgot what I had just learned.

"Nagihiko," I started, shakily raising a finger towards him. "So you're actually… Nadeshiko?" I asked. I knew what I had heard but I still couldn't believe it.

"Yes," he started. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I was afraid you'd be angry with me," he confessed, his expression laced with worry.

I shook my head at him. "No, in fact, I'm actually really happy," I explained. He looked puzzled and I laughed. "It means Nadeshiko has been here with me this whole time, which is a good feeling," I walked up to him and gave him a hug, comforted to know that I had finally been reunited with my friend.

"Amu?" He sounded shocked. After a moment I released him and smiled.

"Thank you for telling me though," I said. He appeared surprised by my sudden expression of affection, but I was over the moon and nothing was going to get me down. Rima looked happy for me too, but there was a hint of jealousy on her face. I imagined it was probably because I was getting sentimental over Nadeshiko.

"Did you want a hug, too?" I teased her. She pouted and shook her head, but I ignored her request and hugged her anyway.

"You're gonna mess up my hair," she complained, trying to push me away.

I laughed and gently roughed up her hair, which she liked even less. Even Nagihiko let out a chuckle as he watched me torment her. Everything seemed so much lighter now,

A few minutes later the rest of the gang showed up and Yaya tackled me with tears streaming down her face.

"Amu-chan, I'm so happy your characters are back," she cried. I thanked her and gently patted her head in an attempt to comfort her.

Kukai clapped me on the shoulder and shot me a thumbs up followed by a "Congrats, Hinamori-san!". Kairi gave me a formal congratulation, which was fitting for him. I expressed my gratitude to them for all for their support.

We all chatted happily for a while, watching our characters play, reminiscing about the past few weeks, thinking about what the future held for the guardians. It seemed as if everything was finally on the mend. As I speculated what was to come, I noticed that neither Ikuto nor Utau were anywhere to be found, and I broke away from the conversation to peer around for them. My gaze searched through the crowds, with no sign of them anywhere. It was only when I turned my attention away from the large crowds and off to the side where a small group of people were gathered did I spot them. I saw Ikuto and Utau, their mom, and… someone else? I squinted, trying to get a better look at who was with them. He was fairly tall and had dark blue hair that almost touched his shoulders. I also noticed he was carrying a violin case on his back. _That guy… He looks just like Ikuto_ , I thought. The three of them all had their unwavering attention on him and I wondered why that was, and then it hit me: that was Ikuto's father. I stared at them with my mouth gaping. Tsukiyomi Aruto was here? Why? My heart started beating faster as I considered what this could mean. Then I watched as the man who was the spitting image of Ikuto turned in my direction. We fixed on each other for a brief moment and then he gestured in my direction, leading the rest of them to glance my way. I looked at Utau, then Souka, and lastly Ikuto. He was wearing an expression of bewilderment, but behind it I saw happiness radiating. I smiled at him, everyone was being reunited with the people they loved. He grinned back at me, his eyes shining like a child's, and I felt overjoyed for all of them.

"Amu, what are you looking at?" I heard Tadase ask me. I reluctantly returned my attention back to the group.

"Tadase, do you know who that man is standing with Ikuto and Utau?" I asked. He looked back to where I was watching before and I turned with him. The four of them had returned to their conversation, but I saw Tadase's eyes widen after a moment.

"That is…" his words faded out. "Tsukiyomi Aruto," he added a second later. _So I was right._

"I wonder what he's doing here," I replied. Tadase seemed just a shocked to see him as Ikuto and Utau were. He continued to watch them for a brief while

"I hardly remember him, but it's definitely Aruto," he explained and looked at me. "Did Ikuto mention he was coming?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I haven't heard anything from either of them," I explained.

"I'm not following, who is that guy exactly?" Kukai butted in.

"That's Ikuto and Utau's father," Tadase replied. I watched Kukai's eyes widen.

"Seriously?" He mused. " Utau has never really brought him up before, I didn't realize he was such an important guy," he said.

"Well, he disappeared nearly ten years ago without a word, so I guess you could say he's a bit important," Tadase replied.

"Huh?!" Kukai exclaimed. "Where the hell has he been for the last decade?"

Tadase shook his head. "He departed one day years ago because Easter tried to put him in a position of power, which he wouldn't have. So instead he left to play music all over the world, I'm shocked to see him here all of the sudden," he confessed.

"So he just bailed on them? That guy deserves a kick in the head," Kukai fumed, rolling up his sleeves like he was ready to fight him.

I rested my hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should save the fighting for later, Kukai. Right now it looks like they are doing a bit of catching up," I pointed out. I wasn't a fan of him because of what he did either, but no one in the family ever spoke ill of him so it seemed best not to make an unnecessary scene.

"I guess," Kukai glowered, relaxing a bit.

We all stared at them for a bit before going back to our previous exchange, but I just couldn't get into it. Every couple of sentences I would fade out and my thoughts went back to Ikuto. I wondered what he was thinking right now…

I noticed Dia was watching me with concern, but I pretended not to notice.

The after party mingling went on for another two or three hours, and in that time I tried to find Ikuto among the crowd. I even had my characters search from the sky and the ground but they didn't have any luck either. The entire Tsukiyomi family seemed to have disappeared. I broke away from the rest of the group and went to talk to Sanjo and Nikaidou.

"Hey Sanjo-san, have you seen Ikuto anywhere?" I asked when the party had died down a bit.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Why do you want to know?"

I blushed slightly at her prying words. "It's nothing really ,I just wanted to ask him something," I answered, and that was true.

She shot me another skeptical look. "Ikuto and his family left about two hours ago, something came up so they had to take off earlier than expected," she explained.

I had suspected that might be the case. "I see," was all I said. "Thank you." I guess I'd have to talk to him another time.

"Amu-chan, are you so obsessed with that boy that you forgot to congratulate us?" Sanjo asked as I was about to walk away.

"Yukari, be nice," Nikaidou-sensei added a second later.

"What? What are you talking about?" I blushed. I saw Ran and Suu blushing with me while Miki was cackling at my expense, but I tried to shake it off. "C-congratulations to both of you!" I stuttered out and quickly walked away before she could say anything else.

 _Jeez, I just wanted to know where he went…_ But at least I got an answer

"So he went home, I guess that makes sense. I'm sure their family had a lot to talk about," I said allowed. Part of me was sad that he didn't say goodbye, but I knew it was a complicated situation.

"I'm sure you'll see him again in a few days, Amu-chan," Ran tried to cheer me up.

"I know, you're right," I replied, yet I couldn't help but worry about him.

I caught up with my friends for a little while longer before we all started to part ways. Eventually my family and I went home, too.

"Did you have fun, Amu-chan?" My mom asked me when we were driving home.

"Yeah it was nice, Sanjo-san looked pretty in her dress," I replied in distracted tone.

"Not as cute as Ami," my dad gushed over my little sister, which made her giggle.

"Hey, was Ikuto and his family there, too?" My mom added a moment later. "I thought I saw them, but I wasn't sure."

I was slightly startled by her question, but I did my best to remain composed. "Uh, yeah he and his sister were there as well as his mother," I paused. "And I think he father might have been there, too," I included.

"Oh how nice! I'm glad they could all make it," she commented.

"Eh? Who is Ikuto?" My dad suspiciously asked.

My mom waved her hand at him. "He's one of Amu's school friends."

"I see," he replied, but he still didn't look too pleased at the idea of me being friends with a boy. I shook my head, he'd die if he knew just how old he was. I wondered momentarily why my mom had asked about him, but I tried not to let it bother me much

We got home and all went to our respective rooms. I changed out of my wedding attire and took a bath to try and relax myself. The day had included a bit more excitement than I had anticipated. I collapsed on my bed with a sigh.

"Amu-chan looks exhausted~desu" Suu hovered by my pillow and was quickly joined by the rest of them.

"It was kind of a crazy day," I pointed out. "And I'm glad you guys were with me for most of it," I smiled at them. It was strange, I was so used to having them around before that I had already fallen back into a routine with them. It was weird to remember that just this morning they were still in their eggs.

"So are we," Dia spoke for them all. I smiled at her. Even though I had known her for the least amount of time, she seemed to know me on a different level than the others.

I turned onto my back and hugged my pillow. I wondered what Ikuto was doing right now. I thought about texting him or Utau but I didn't want to be a burden when a bombshell like this was just dropped on them. Part of me was actually considering going to their house tomorrow to see how he was doing. Although I was interested in understanding their current family situation, I was more preoccupied by something else. Ikuto had just returned to Japan today for the wedding, and even though we spent some time together I never learned when he would be leaving again. I gripped my pillow tighter. _He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, right?_

"Is something wrong Amu-chan?" Ran interrupted my train of thought.

"Not really," I reassured. "I'm just wondering when Ikuto will be taking off again," I admitted.

"I'm sure he won't leave without seeing you first!" She replied and I hoped she was right.

"Especially since he is in love with you~" Suu tuned in.

"Suu!" I shouted, throwing my pillow in her direction. "Don't say something like that so casually!" She shrieked but narrowly dodged it. I sat up, fuming at her.

But then, she had a point. I blushed at the thought, but he had told me about his feelings for me several times now. I wrapped my arms around my legs. A long time ago he said the person he liked was me, but I didn't believe him then. And the next time was at the airport before he left on his journey, and earlier today he had mentioned it again. I grumbled, the thought of all those moments making my stomach twist up in knots. I knew he meant every word of it, and thinking about that made me so nervous. Partially because I was never sure how to respond to such a confession, even if I did… feel the same?

"Gah!" I furiously scratched at my head. This was so annoying. I didn't even know how I felt about him, I was always at a loss when it came to Ikuto. Up until recently it had always been teasing and jokes all the time, but now there was a serious note to a lot of the things he said and I had no clue what to make of them.

"She's flustered just thinking about him," Miki snickered.

"Agh, leave me alone," I grabbed another pillow to throw at her this time, but ended up roughly placing it on my face and groaning into it.

"Why is liking Ikuto-kun such a bad thing," I heard Dia ask from outside my pillow barrier.

I exhaled, trying to understand it myself. "I don't know…" I started. "The thought of liking him like that, it's scary," I explained.

"Amu-chan was never scared about liking Tadase-kun," I heard Ran respond. And she was right. I may have been nervous around him, but I never tried to push my feelings for him away for any reason.

"Ikuto is different, and that's what bothers me," I continued. "Everything feels so much more real with him. With Tadase it was just an elementary school crush revolving around fantasies and dreams, but with Ikuto it's like, this real life thing that could actually be something more serious? Which terrifies me and excites me all at once," I tried to explain in a way that made sense. "And on top of all that he's a high schooler while I'm barely going into middle school," I added, frustrated that life would set me up in this sort of way. "He's so much more grown up than me in every way. Even if he still calls himself a kid, and I just don't know if I can keep up with that," I pulled the pillow down to expose my eyes and gazed at the ceiling.

"If you chara-change with me you can keep up with anyone!" Ran said, attempting to cheer me up, and it kind of helped. I drew the pillow from my face down to my chest, still clutching it tightly.

"And if it's something you're really worried about, I'm sure you could talk to him about it," Dia proposed.

"Maybe... but I could never tell him about something like this," I said bleakly. "It would be way too embarrassing."

"You'd rather leave it a mystery?" She asked.

I thought about that for a second, but it was so much consider after such a long day. "I don't know what I want," I confessed, and that was causing me a lot of strife.

"Maybe you should sleep on it," Suu suggested.

It was hardly after 8 and seemed way too early to sleep, even if this never ending stream of thoughts would let me. I decided I would text Utau before trying to get some rest at the hopes of easing my mind.

 _To: Utau_

 _Hey, will you guys be home tomorrow?_

 _Amu_

Even though there were a thousand things on my mind, more than anything I just wanted to make sure Ikuto wasn't headed off tonight, as unlikely as it may have been.

After a few minutes my phone buzzed. I flipped it open and was relieved to see Utau's text.

 _From: Utau_

 _Yeah, we'll all be here. Why?_

I felt the weight of that one concern disappear, and I hoped it was enough to grant me sleep. I wrote out a quick reply before retiring.

 _To: Utau_

 _Just making sure. Would it be alright if I stopped by for a bit?_

I shut my phone and set it aside. The rest could wait. Knowing that Ikuto would still be there tomorrow made it much easier for me to relax. I settled into bed, still doubtful sleep would come without difficulty.

"Can one of you turn off the light?" I asked, and I watched Suu sleepily drift over to switch it off. "Thank you," I said.

"Good night, Amu-chan," they all said. Something that I hadn't heard in awhile, and it warmed my heart.

"I'll see you all in the morning," I replied, trying to reassure myself they wouldn't disappear again. They muttered something along the lines of 'yes' which was all I needed.

I nuzzled into my pillow, and tried to relax as much as I could. Then I heard my phone buzz and even though I knew I should ignore and try to get to sleep, I reached out and flipped it open.

 _From: Utau_

 _Making sure Ikuto wasn't going anywhere? Haha. No worries. We'll see you tomorrow._

I smiled at her words. She was a good friend, although I cringed at the thought of her showing that text to Ikuto. But I tried to shake it off, I had to get to sleep. The faster I went to sleep, the earlier I could wake up, and the earlier I could wake up, the sooner I could go to their house.

I couldn't keep myself from tossing around for a while, but eventually sleep did come, which brought tomorrow closer.

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Aaaand that's a wrap! There's chapter one of my descent to hell (or the story, whatever you wanna call it). I haven't written in ages so sorry if I'm a bit rusty, I'm hoping the gears will start turning easier as the story persists. Anyways, thanks to all who read and the next chapter should be out in a week or so! I'm always better at putting at chapter early on lol its when we start getting to that middle point things get rough hehe.

Lucky words are: look, watch, back, again, and wonder

See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

/A month later lol sorry guys.

Also last chapter Tadase talked about vaguely remembering Aruto but I'm not sure that timeline actually adds up? So my bad if that was not Cannon™

Anyways it's been long enough let's roll.

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"Amu-chan! It's time to wake up!" I heard voices around me say too loudly.

"Ugh," I groaned and rolled over. I could hardly open my eyes, sleep still threatening to drag my back under.

"It's morning Amu-chan, time to start the day~" I could make out Suu's voice among their chatter.

I pulled the blanket over my head to try and drown them out. "There aren't any X-eggs to catch and Easter's been defeated, why can't I just sleep?"

"Amu-chan has to see Ikuto-kun today!" Ran reminded me.

I thought about that for a moment but was interrupted when there was a knock at my door.

"Amu-chan, I made some breakfast if you're hungry!" My mom called out from the hallway.

"Thanks," I mumbled back to her, burrowing into my bed for just a moment longer.

"Amu-ch–

"Ugh okay!" I shouted, throwing my blanket off violently. I heard high pitched screams and saw two tiny lumps struggling under my comforter. Dia was flying frantically above them trying to help.

"She's alive," Miki said sarcastically and I shot her a sleepy glare, but it quickly faded to a smile. Even in my tired state, it was nice to wake up like this again.

I got dressed and went down stairs with my charas following closely behind me.

"Good morning," I greeted my mother, who was cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" she asked.

"Fine," I lied, grabbing a glass of orange juice off the edge of the counter.

My sister was sitting at the table watching TV with my dad. I walked over and took a seat next to them.

"Ooh Onee-chan's chawacters are back!" My sister's eyes lit up when she spotted the four of them.

"What are you saying Ami-chan?" My father questioned, confused.

"Gweat chawacters!" She squealed, getting out of her chair to chase them around. I laughed as they shrieked and my father gave me an even more baffled look.

I scratched the back of my head nervously. "She has such an active imagination, doesn't she?"

"I suppose so," he replied. He still seemed half asleep himself, and I was grateful he wasn't a morning person.

I zoned out as I ate breakfast and mindlessly watched TV. I was periodically forced to act as a shield for my charas as they hid from Ami.

"P-please protect us," Suu begged as she hid underneath my hair.

"Agh!" I felt Ami tug at my hair as she tried to make a grab for Su. "Ami, be more careful!" I yelled at her, but she was on a mission and completely tuned me out. "Ow," I muttered, rubbing the spot where she had pulled.

"So Amu-chan, do you have any plans today?" My mom asked, oblivious to my little sister's strange behavior.

"Um, I might be going to see Utau later," I said.

The words had hardly left my mouth when Ami shrieked in excitement. "I wanna see Utau!"

I shook my head at her. "No, Ami, you can't come this time," I explained and dejection shot across her face.

"Why?" She whined, tears brimming in her eyes. I knew she was just doing that so I would change my mind, but I simply couldn't bring her. We were going to be talking about some serious topics and I didn't want to drag her around.

"Because I said so," I told her defiantly. Then she burst into tears and I groaned in annoyance.

"Why can't your sister come, Amu?" My mom asked, placing her hands on her hips.

I crossed my arms in response. "Because I don't want to babysit while I'm trying to spend time with my friend."

She criticized me with her gaze and I sighed, frustrated that I couldn't even make plans without being hassled like this. I leaned towards my sister, beckoning her to lend me her ear.

"Hey, Ami, I'll let you play with my great characters _all_ day if you stop crying," I tried to entice her, and the tears immediately stopped flowing, her eyes now gleaming with mischief.

"Amu-chan we just got back, do you want us to die so soon?" Ran said, totally paled faced.

I turned to face them with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you I promise."

"Hey, Amu, before you head over I need you to pick up a few things for me! Can you do that?" My mom interrupted.

"Oh yeah sure, what did you need me to do?" I asked, assuming it would be a short errand and I could head over to Utau's after.

She handed me a piece of paper with a smile. "Thank you, Amu-chan!"

I scanned over the paper and my jaw dropped. "M-mama, this list…" _Go to the drugstore, pick up Papa's dry cleaning, deliver package to Haru, Pick up ingredients for dinner._ This was gonna run me over every side of town.

"It's only four errands," she replied.

"But it's all over town! It's going to take me hours," I complained.

"What time are you supposed to see Utau?" She asked.

I was taken off guard. "Ah, well we hadn't really planned that far ahead," I admitted.

"Then you should be done in a couple hours, right? But you better get started soon!" She smiled, handing me the drycleaning ticket, the package I had to deliver, and some money for groceries.

"Ugh," I exhaled, accepting my fate.

I left about fifteen minutes after ten, dragging my feet as I went. At this rate I wouldn't be home until two. My charas were tailing behind, still looking betrayed having been sold out.

"I'm sorry guys but I can't bring Ami with me this time, there will be too much going on," I explained. They glared at me in response.

"What a pain," I grumbled.

First we stopped at a convenience store to pick up one of my mom's prescriptions.

"If I let you guys pick out some snack will you forgive me?" I offered, and they eagerly flew off in different directions and I cringed at the thought of how much stuff they would bring back.

While they were off I went to the pharmacy counter and picked up my mom's prescription. As I waited from them to bring it out my charas regrouped with me, baskets filled to the brim with snacks.

I heard the clerk behind me say something about how the baskets were floating but I was too shocked by how much food they had to address her.

"H-how are you going to eat all that," I asked incredulously. They responded with fits of giggling and floated towards the cashier. I was gonna go bankrupt.

"Here's your prescription, ma'am," the pharmacist said from behind me.

I took the bag and thanked her, then headed to the cashier to reluctantly buy the four of them their snacks.

"Thanks for stopping by!" The cashier said as I walked out with two huge bags of snacks.

"You guys have to carry these since you wanted them," I angrily held out the bags. They gladly took them from me, talking excitedly as they opened wrapper after wrapper.

From there we went on to our next stop; the dry cleaners. I walked into the shop and groaned at the huge line that led up to the counter.

"Why are so many people picking up their laundry today?" I asked aloud, but my charas were too captivated by their treats to respond to me.

After fifteen minutes I was almost at the counter. The old woman in front of my was fiddling around with her purse, trying to find her ticket.

"I'm sure it's in here somewhere," she muttered.

"I can't believe this," I whispered too quietly for her to hear.

It took her another two minutes to find the ticket, and when the worker finally retrieved her items the old women proceeded to pull out a checkbook. I almost collapsed in defeat. _What century was this lady from?_ The women painstakingly filled out the check and handed it to the clerk, bidding her a good day.

When I finally got up to the counter I handed the employee my ticket and impatiently waited for him to return. I looked at my phone. I couldn't believe it was almost twelve already.

The worker didn't return from the back for nearly ten minutes, and when he did, he was empty handed.

"What do you mean you can't find my items?" I shouted, accidentally letting out my frustrations on the worker. "I'm sorry," I apologized, pinching the bridge of my nose.

I called my mom and asked her for help and she said she would to talk to the owner of the shop. I asked the employee if he could get the owner and he brought her out. I gave my phone to her and the two chatted for a while, catching up briefly before discussing the whereabouts of my Dad's missing clothes.

"This is too much," I muttered.

Five minutes later the owner handed me my phone and said she'd be right back. She returned with my Dad's clothes a moment later, saying that the items had gotten filed under his name instead of my Mom's which is why they couldn't find them.

I took the items and half-heartedly thanked them. I quickly left the building and made my way to my Mom's friend's house. I had to take the bus to the other side of the city, lugging around my Dad's dry cleaning the whole way.

My charas were collapsed on the seat of the bus, looking rather round and moaning quietly. I shook my head at them.

"That's what you get for eating so much," I said, and they simply moaned more in response

"Excuse me?" Someone said. I turned to see who was talking to me, and it was a moderately overweight man. The reality of what I just said hit me.

"N-no, not you! I was talking to…" I realized he couldn't see my charas and I sighed. "I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head. He scoffed at me and turned away. I glared at my half-conscious charas, but they didn't appear to have noticed the interaction. _What a day_ , I thought.

We got off the bus ten minutes later and made the short walk to Haru's house. I was still irritated I had to hand deliver a package to my Mom's friend, but she had repeatedly said that it 'simply couldn't go in the mail'.

We arrived at her house a little before one O'clock. If I could just drop this off and get to the store, I could get home before two, that wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately, Haru invited me in for snacks and drinks. I was prepared to decline the offer but Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia rushed in before I could get a word in, so I reluctantly agreed to come inside

I knew once I had sat down I would be stuck there for at least twenty minutes, but I couldn't stay any longer than that.

An hour later, after Haru had told me all about the time her and my mother had travelled to France and throughout Europe, I insisted that I had to finish my errands before my parents started to wonder where I was, and she finally released me. She walked me to the door, asking me to tell my mother to give her a call.

"Of course, of course," I waved goodbye and left, having to fight every urge to collapse to the ground.

"Amu-chan, we're tired, can't we stop?" My charas pleaded as we made the short walk to the store.

"Fine!" I yelled, crumpling into the nearest bench, the four of them sinking into the spot beside me. I was so frustrated with this day. All I wanted to do was figure out if Ikuto would be leaving soon, but the universe seemed to be trying to keep me from figuring that out at all cost. I thought about just texting him, but he wasn't always the most reliable at responding. I couldn't help but be curious about meeting his dad, too. He was such a mysterious figure and I wanted to see what kind of person he was.

Somewhere in the distance a clock tower rang two times. _How was it already two?_

I stood up, gathering my stuff. "Come on guys, we gotta get going," I said, and they unwillingly dragged themselves and what was left of their snacks off the bench and followed after me.

We arrived at the grocery store a few minutes later. We walked around the store collecting ingredients that my mom wanted for dinner tonight. As I wandered through the produce section I felt my phone buzz. I flipped it open and saw I had a message from Ikuto. I furrowed my eyebrows, puzzled as to why he would be texting me. Curious, I opened the message.

"What the…?" I asked out loud. It was just a picture of an empty chair. My charas huddled around and tried to interpret it, too.

"What a strange guy," I commented. I snapped a picture of the vegetables I was next to and sent it in response. I could try to play his game.

After I gathered all the food that I was supposed to get we went to pay for everything. As we waited in line I got another text from Ikuto.

 _Errands? So you'll be over later?_

"How did he get errands out of that?" I asked in disbelief. He was right, but how he guessed was a mystery. I replied with a simple 'Yes and yes'.

We paid and left the store. Just as we exited the building I saw the bus drive away. I thought about chasing after it, but I figured I should just accept the world trying to slow me down and wait for the next one.

It showed up soon after and we boarded, dropping into the first open seats we saw.

"So tired…" I complained, lying back into my seat.

We got off at the stop nearest to my house and made the short walk home.

I threw my weight into the door to open it. "I'm home," I called out pathetically, trudging into the house.

My mom's head popped up from around the wall in the kitchen. "Wow that sure took you a long time," my mom pointed at when I arrived.

"Tell me about it," I agreed, dropping everything on the dining room table and practically crawling up to my room. "Haru says you should call her," I hollered down, unsure if my mom actually heard me or not.

I briefly lay on my bed and tried to recover some of the energy I lost after the morning's events. But I forced myself to get up before I fell asleep. I quickly got changed out of my sweaty clothes, only switching outfits two times instead of the usual twelve. I looked at my charas who were all passed out after all the travelling and snacks. I laughed at them, knowing any moment Ami would burst in here demanding to play the rest of the day away.

Not thirty seconds later the door swung upon and Ami burst into the room, eyes glistening. The four of them shrieked and scattered all around the room.

"Remember, you guys signed up for this," I reminded them.

"Amu-chan made us!" Miki screamed as she flew over my head.

"Maybe, but you all sealed the deal when you bought all those snacks," I explained. "Try to play nice with them, okay Ami?" I asked for their well-being. She nodded enthusiastically and then immediately went back to chasing after them. Cackling as I left the room, I shut the door slowly behind me.

"I'm leaving, Mama," I called out as I put my shoes on.

"Eh? Are you not bringing your sister with you?" She asked.

"No, I told her she could play in my room today and I'd take her somewhere tomorrow," I explained

"I see, well have fun!" She said, waving me off.

I walked over to their house, groaning as I realized it was almost 4pm. I was so exhausted already, and I was starting to worry that I would be a burden coming over this late in the day.

"Jeez," I sighed as their house came into view. It was too late to turn back now.

I walked along the sidewalk that paralleled their house and I paused to take a better look at the outside. It was two stories with a small front yard, but it was still pretty high-end. My gaze fell onto the windows on the second floor. I saw that one of them was open, the curtain blowing lightly in the wind. _I wonder if that's Ikuto's room_. I could easily imagine him using the window as a way to get to the roof. I smiled at the thought of him basking in the sun on the top of the house, just like a real cat.

As I stood there staring at their house and postponing knocking at the door, a car slowed down behind me and then came to a stop. I watched the vehicle expectantly, waiting to see who would come out of it. I figured it had to be one of them since it parked in front of their house. The door closest to me opened and Ikuto revealed himself.

"Yo, Amu," he greeted me.

"Um, hi," I responded quietly. Why did I suddenly feel so awkward?

Shortly after Ikuto exited the car, Aruto appeared on the other side. It was almost overwhelming seeing him so up-close. He sort of felt like a myth in the flesh to me.

"Hello, Amu," he said. I was taken aback by the way he used my first name so casually as if we already knew each other. I gave him a small nod. I wasn't sure how to talk to him.

I watched as he walked around the back of the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out a few grocery bags and handed them off to Ikuto, and then returned to grab more.

"Instead of standing there why don't you give us a hand," Ikuto suggested as he walked by, sticking his tongue out at me. I blinked a few times, trying to get out of my trance. His father chuckled as he passed. I quickly turned around and looked at him. _He sounded just like Ikuto when he laughed._.. I watched the two go inside and tried to shake off the shock that I was feeling.

I walked over to the car and grabbed as many bags as I could carry, but was unable to get the last two. I attempted to rearrange the other bags in a way that would allow me to take them all in at once, but it was impossible. As I wrestled with the bags I currently had I heard footsteps walking in my directions.

"Why aren't your charas here to give you a hand?" Ikuto asked from my right.

"We've been running around doing errands all day; they were tired and decided to stay home and rest," I half lied, but he didn't seem to catch on.

"I see," he said, snagging the remaining bags from the car. "I guess I'll just have to give you a hand this time," he joked, closing the trunk of the car. "So what compelled you to come visit me? Worried about when you would see me next?" He asked.

We were walking towards the door and I scoffed. "Not everything revolves around you, I needed to talk to Utau about something," I explained, not eager to out myself.

I saw a smirk play across his face. "I see," he replied, reaching out to open the door. "What did you need to talk to her about?"

I waited for him to open the door but his hand merely lingered on the knob.

"Um, that is," I attempted to stall, but there was nothing to be done. I resigned to my defeat. "I was just... wondering if you were going to be leaving again soon," I confessed.

"Aha, I thought so," he said nonchalantly.

I shifted the bags in my hands. "That's something anyone would want to know, I don't see what's wrong with that," I argued, annoyed that he would try and make fun of me over that.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," he replied. 'It's nice to know that you care that much," he added.

I blushed at his words. "I-I see," was all I could manage to say. But I noted that he didn't give me an answer.

He finally opened the door and I peered around. I had never been to Ikuto's house before[*]. It was spacious with a cozy looking living room that opened up into a dining room. There was a large table with six chairs all around it. I peered towards the kitchen and saw Ikuto's mom fiddling around with a handful of pots and pans. I was surprised at how normal it all was. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I never imagined it would be so average.

I set the bags down on the counter in the kitchen and Aruto thanked me. I nodded at him again. It felt weird being in their house while the whole family was there, like I was invading on some private affair.

"We didn't get formally introduce," Aruto said, interrupting my train of thought. "Although I'm sure you've put it together by now, I'm Tsukiyomi Aruto," he wore a welcoming smile.

I was taken aback by his unexpected introduction. "Oh right, it's nice to meet you," I replied, and then I gestured towards myself. "I'm–

"Hinamori Amu. I know, Ikuto told me all about you," he took the words out of my mouth.

I scratched the back of my head and laughed stiffly. "I wonder what he said," I commented.

His expression changed to one of curiosity. "Ah, did you want to know?" He asked, his tone alarmingly genuine.

I frantically waved my hands in front of me. "Th-that's okay!" Was I mildly curious? Yes. Would learning what he said be worth the inevitable embarrassment that would follow? Absolutely not. Ikuto and Aruto both laughed at my response. I looked at them and part of me dreaded that thought that there were two Ikuto's in one room, but I also couldn't help but feel happy for their reunion.

Utau appeared at the base of the stairs. "It's about time you got here, what have you been stalling for?" She questioned.

I felt my face heat up at her remark. "I had stuff to do!" It was like I was being attacked at every angle. I wasn't sure if I would survive the night at this rate.

Utau looked like she was planning on shooting something back at me when Souka spoke.

"Amu-chan is our guest, we should make sure she is comfortable instead of interrogating her," she said, walking in my direction. "My name is Souka, I'm Ikuto and Utau's mother," she smiled at me. "It's wonderful to finally meet you after all this time."

I was surprised by how different she was from the rest of them. So relaxed and kind… I questioned how Ikuto and Utau turn out so different. I had never talked to Ikuto's mother before, I'd hardly seen her outside of the wedding and the road of stars. His entire family was kind of a mystery to me.

"Thank you for letting me come at such short notice," I said. She was the only person here who didn't put me on edge, which was a relief.

"Oi, Amu, it's so late in the day, you might as well just stay for dinner," Utau interrupted my brief moment of peace.

I turned my attention to her. "I don't know, I didn't tell my parents I'd be out for very long so I'm not sure," I explained, not totally comfortable with the idea of having dinner with the entire Tsukiyomi family, since half of them seemed out to get me.

"Can you call them? We'd love for you to join us," Souka said with another delicate smile that I wasn't sure I could turn down.

"I... suppose I could give them a call," I replied warily. I pulled out my phone, a small part of me hoping my parents wouldn't pick up.

Of course they answered after the second ring. "Hi Mama," I said.

"What's up Amu-chan?" She asked.

"I'm at Utau-chan's house right now. She invited me to stay for dinner and I wanted to see if it was alright with you," I was facing the front door as I talked to her and I turned around to see Souka and Aruto staring at me expectantly. I shot them a forced smile as if it was going well, and they appeared to believe it.

"That's so nice!" My mother said loudly into my ear and I cringed away from my phone. "Who else will be there?" She asked. I could still hear her clearly even with my phone held away from me.

"Well, her parent's are here, and so is Ikuto–

"Hi, Mrs. Hinamori," Ikuto suddenly chimed in from behind me. I spun around in shock.

"Oh hello Ikuto-kun!" My mother said excitedly. "How are you doing?" She asked. I sighed and reluctantly held out the phone towards him.

"Fine, fine. Thank you for letting us kidnap Amu for the night," he said lightheartedly.

"Yes of course! Have fun Amu-chan," she said, consenting to my abduction.

"Thank you, talk to you later," I said, reluctantly accepting my fate. I shut my phone and returned my attention to the rest of them. "I guess I'll be staying," I announced, to which Souka and Aruto appeared delighted.

"We're happy you'll be staying, although I'm worried we won't have enough space for everyone," Aruto commented thoughtfully.

There were six chairs around the table and five of us. I shot him a perplexed look.

"The Hotori family will also be joining us," Aruto responded to my confused gazed.

My eyes widened. "Really?" I wasn't sure if I should be relieved that someone I knew would be here or even more worried. The idea of Tadase and Ikuto in the same room seemed like means for a catastrophe, even if they had been on better terms lately.

"Yes, it's been years since our families have been together like this," Aruto explained. "And even longer since we've been on good terms" he added.

"Right," I'd nearly forgotten all the adversity that had surrounded their family up until recently. I wondered what tonight would be like.

Aruto had told me that Tadase's family wouldn't be arriving for a little while longer, so he and Souka returned to the kitchen to continue prepping and cooking dinner. Meanwhile, Utau and I helped set the table and make room for everyone. I would periodically peek up at Souka and Aruto as they prepared for their guests. Every time I peered in their direction they were laughing and smiling like two young lovers. I smiled at their closeness. Even after all this time and everything that had happened between them, they were still able to find happiness as if nothing had changed.

"Those two," I started, and Utau looked up at me from setting down silverware. "They really do fit well together," I pointed out.

Utau followed my gaze. "Yeah," she said with a smile. I was a little surprised by how genuine her response was, considering how she usually spoke. But then again, that was her dad who she hadn't seen or heard from in years, so I guess I couldn't blame her.

"Ne, Ikuto, would you bother to help us?" Utau turned her attention to him as he absentmindedly sat on the couch.

He looked up and glanced between the two of us. "Nah, I think you guys can handle it," he answered with the slightest of grins. Utau glared daggers at him in response and I giggled at them. Seeing the two of them acting as siblings do in this sort of setting was almost unreal. My laughter caught Ikuto's ears and he looked at me with that devious smile of his. At the same time there was a knock at the door, giving me a reason to promptly look in another direction.

"Ah, they're here!" Souka said while she was cutting away at something. "Aruto, will you get that?" She asked him.

"Of course," he replied, wiping his hands off on a towel. I watched as he kissed her gently before leaving her side. I once again found myself quickly averting my eyes. I blushed furiously, feeling as though I had just intruded on an intimate moment. I kept my eyes on the table, but from my peripheral I could see Ikuto staring at me with an amused grin. When I heard Aruto open the door I turned around to see the interaction.

"Yui, it's been a while," he started, welcoming the older Hotori in and bringing him into a tight hug.

"Far too long, my friend," Yui replied, returning the hug.

I watched Aruto peer around Yui. "What? No Mizue?" He asked, sounding disappointed.

"No, but not for the reason you'd think," Yui reassured. "She said she was concerned about leaving grandmother behind by herself and decided to stay with her," he explained.

Aruto nodded. "I understand, hopefully she'll be able to join us next time."

A moment later Souka stepped away from the stove and walked over to the door to greet them, as well.

"Hello Yui, Tadase. I'm glad you both could make it," she greeted them.

"Thank you for having us," Yui responded. Tadase entered the house then, his eyes on Aruto and Souka.

"Yo, kiddy king," I heard Ikuto call from behind me. That caught Tadase's attention and he hastily turned, ready to make a comeback, but when he focused on me he stopped.

"Amu-chan? What are you doing here?" He said, obviously surprised.

I let out a strained laugh. "That's a good question," I replied.

He walked in my direction, politely greeting Utau and slightly less politely greeting Ikuto, which was as expected.

"I see Kiseki decided to join us," Ikuto commented. I saw Tadase's Chara hovering around his shoulder, crossing his arms in a regal manner.

"I came on Tadase's request," the tiny king said defiantly.

"Kiseki, try to be nice," Tadase scolded him, but Kiseki looked unaffected.

"So how is your grandmother?" Ikuto suddenly asked.

Tadase appeared a little caught off guard by his question. "She's doing much better," he explained. "I'm sure she'd like to see you and Utau again if you have a chance to come by," he added.

"Sure, sure. I think that would be nice," he replied.

It was so strange seeing them speak to each other so casually after all the years of hostility. I watched the three of them make conversation, captivated by their casual interaction. I also noticed Aruto, Souka, and Yui talking enthusiastically among each other and it was like I was looking back and forth between the past and present. The three adults spoke to each other with such ease; there was no awkwardness despite the span of time that had separated them. They seemed to have just picked up where they left off, and their children had done the same. I felt both honored and out of place that I was there to witness their families coming back together.

"Tadase, I forgot to grab the dessert that Mizue sent with us, could you go out to the car and grab it?" Yui broke up the conversations as he called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Tadase called back. He looked at me. "Hey, Amu-chan, would you come with me?" He asked and my heart skipped a beat. It seemed unnecessary for me to help him if it was just a dessert, but I agreed to go with him anyways.

"I guess we'll be back," I said to Ikuto and Utau. Utau was involved in texting someone and hardly acknowledged me, while Ikuto gave me a slightly skeptical eyebrow raise. I hesitated for moment and hurried after Tadase.

I caught up to him at the door and we went outside. We walked over to his car without saying anything and I wondered what this peculiar silence was for. From the passenger side he pulled out a plate wrapped in tinfoil.

"What did your mother make?" I asked, attempting to make conversation.

"A cake. She said she felt bad that she couldn't join us and didn't want Ikuto's family to think it was because she didn't want to see them, so she sent us over with with it," he explained with a smile.

"That was kind of her," I replied, waiting for him to close the door so we could head back inside, but he was hesitating. "... Is there something on your mind, Tadase?" I asked cautiously, unsure if I was looking too far into things.

He let out a nervous sigh. "Was I being that obvious?" He asked.

"I mean, I was getting an interesting vibe," I tried to play it off jokingly, not thrilled at the thought of an intense conversation in this setting.

He sighed again, clearly having trouble trying to find a place to start. I waited patiently for him to speak, not wanting to rush him since it seemed important.

"I've been thinking about this for a while now. Ever since we got back from the road of stars, I haven't been able to keep it off my mind," he began, but I wasn't sure where he was going. I saw his grip on the cake plate tighten. "I care about you deeply, Amu. You have no idea how grateful I am that I had the opportunity to get to know you better and become a good friend of yours. Being able to get close to you, seeing how you faced the struggles and challenges that came at us all these years... You're really an amazing person, Amu-chan. You help anyone who asks and touch the hearts of everyone you meet, including mine. You've encouraged and inspired me to become the best version of myself, and I wouldn't be who I am today if I never met you," he continued. I blushed at his series of compliments, but was this another confession? Now scarcely seemed like the time for such a thing. I didn't say anything yet.

His expression dropped as I watched him collect his thoughts. "That being said," he paused once more, returning his gaze towards me. "I want you to know that you don't have to worry about us anymore," he said with determination. I stared at him, completely bewildered at his words. _Us? What did he mean by us?_

It was clear on his face that my confusion showed. "What I mean is," he trailed off, attempting to put his thoughts together. "You are one of my dearest friends and you'll always be a special person to me, but after everything that has happened these last few months, I've come to realize and accept something," he wavered for a heartbeat. "Ikuto-niisan… although I'm sure you've already guessed it, he has feelings for you. I've competed with him over it for a long time. But I've decided I'm going to try and let you go, Amu," he finally said. I couldn't find the proper way to respond. I was so shocked at his words, and a small part of my heart ached at what he said.

"Wh-what are you saying?" Was all I could managed to utted.

"I've watched both you and Ikuto all this time. I've noticed the way you two affect each other, and I've seen both of you grow from the hardships you've dealt with together. I tried not to see it for a while, because I didn't want to believe the girl I cared about and my enemy could be so close. But compared to how you were when I first met you to who you are now, anyone could recognize the changes you've undergone, and the same goes for Ikuto. He's become a completely different person since he's gotten to know you, and for the better, which is something I can understand firsthand. I believe that you two complete each other in a way that nobody else could; and I don't think it's a coincidence that you are the possessors of the lock and key," he reflected on his words for a moment. "And it's for that reason that I made the decision that I couldn't hold you back anymore."

My heart was beating rapidly even though I could hardly process what he was saying. "Tadase, you don't have to do this," I said, not sure what else to say.

"I know I don't have to, but like I said, I care about you and I want what is best for you. It took me awhile to look beyond my childish aspirations, but I can finally see now that Ikuto is someone who brings out the best in you and it would be selfish of me to try and interfere with that," he tried to reassure me. "I'm happy as long as I can stay by your side and support you as your friend." I stared at him, searching his eyes for some other incentive for saying all these things, but he seemed to be saying them with honesty.

"Tadase…" When did he get so mature?

He smiled at my understanding. "Thank you for hearing me out. I hope my words won't entirely throw off your night, but I needed to convey my feelings," he said, as if they would be that easy to forget about. "We should head back inside, before someone comes out searching for us," he suggested.

I looked at him incredulously, wondering how he could switch topics so casually. "...Right, good idea," I replied, and I dazedly followed him back inside, my mind no longer on this plane of existence.

Tadase presented his father and Aruto with the baked goods, to which Aruto and Souka excitedly thanked them for, telling Yui to relay their gratitude to Mizue.

I floated over to where Utau and Ikuto were, still feeling disoriented. "Um, where is your bathroom?" I asked Utau.

"Down the hallway to the left," she said, still not bothering to look up at me. I glanced at Ikuto, who was wearing a vague look of suspicion. Ignoring his expression I went to the bathroom to collect myself.

I locked the door behind me and collapsed to the ground, placing my face into my hands. _What was that all about? To say something like that without any warning, and while we are at Ikuto's house._ I could barely make sense of what had just happened. Tadase had said he was… giving up on me? So that I could be with Ikuto? And all that stuff he said about completing each other, that was way to much to think about, but he said it in such a serious way it was impossible to put from my mind.

I exhaled, sliding my arms around my legs. For the longest time I felt like I had been caught in between my feelings for Tadase and Ikuto, and to suddenly have him say he was going to let me go, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Relief? Heartache? Apprehension? A small part of my chest hurt at the idea of ending things with Tadase, but as long as we remained friends I would be more than happy. And I couldn't ignore the alleviation I felt knowing that I wouldn't be torn between the two of them anymore. Had he noticed how conflicted I was? I desperately hoped not, I couldn't imagine how much that would have hurt him. With all these thoughts racing through my head, I almost would have preferred another confession.

I stood up, steadying myself by placing my hands on the counter. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. _Did Tadase really think Ikuto was the best thing for me?_ I hadn't thought about it like that before, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to start thinking about it either, not here anyways.

Even now my face was still a few shades pinker than it should be. I hoped Ikuto hadn't noticed, but I was sure he would have.

I straightened my hair a bit, trying to appear less frazzled than I was. "This was not how I expected the night to go," I said to myself, wishing that I had let my charas come with me. At least they could try and talk me down from this. "Oh well."

I came back to the living room and saw Souka, Aruto, and Yui carrying plates over to the table. Ikuto, Utau, and Tadase were already seated.

"Dinner is ready, Amu. Take a seat wherever you'd like," Souka said as she set down a few small plates.

"Thank you," I responded. I chose the empty seat next to Tadase. Despite our previous conversation, I prayed things wouldn't be too uncomfortable between us. When he saw me sit next to him he gave me a small, welcoming smile. I was relieved, things seemed to be okay.

Everyone had gathered and sat down. Yui, Aruto, and Souka all sat near each at one end of the table. Ikuto and Utau sat on the side closer to their parents, and I was seated between Utau and Tadase. The three adults were chatting away about old times, so caught up in conversation that they hardly seemed to notice the rest of us. I made some light conversation with Tadase regarding much of the same topics we had discussed at the wedding. I'm sure he noticed, too, but anything was better than the painful silence that resided in the air when we weren't talking. There was this awkwardness around me that wasn't even related to the conversation we had had previously, but this whole domestic situation I had found myself in. On top of that, I could periodically feel Ikuto's eyes on me and whenever I caught his gaze my heart would flutter. When he wasn't looking at me he was watching his father with an entertained expression and talking to Utau, and occasionally making friendly jabs at Tadase.

"What's up with you, Amu? You seem super spacey," Utau commented, putting a halt to my spacious thinking.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a little tired is all," I gave her the most generic excuse. I saw Ikuto peer in my direction, and he brought his parent's with him.

"Is everything okay, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked innocently, as if he wasn't partially responsible.

"Are you alright Amu?" Souka inquired from across the table.

All this attention brought color to my cheeks. "I'm really fine! I've just had a long day, but I'm okay please don't worry yourselves," I tried to assured them.

"Did you need to go home? We don't want to keep you here if you're not feeling well," Aruto suggested. I couldn't go home yet, I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Utau about Ikuto which was my whole reason for coming over.

"No I'd like to stay, I'm interested in hearing more of your stories, actually," I attempted to steer the conversation in another direction

"Really? Well I have plenty of those," Aruto took the bait. He appeared to be racking his head for an interesting one and I relaxed into my seat. He was much easier to distract than Ikuto, who I saw shaking his head at his dad, clearly having the same thought.

Eventually, Aruto started telling one story after another, now involving the entire table in his journey's. He captured everyone's attention and we all listened as he rambled away. He was currently going on about a time when he went to Australia and some of the bizarre animals and people he encountered. Somehow his story telling had managed to divert my attention from my own thoughts, which was a pleasant surprise. I saw Ikuto and Utau watching him with unwavering smiles, and it warmed my heart to see those two so happy. As Aruto went on about his adventures I took a moment to ponder him. He was seriously a charismatic and charming person, having been able to completely grasp all of our focus as he did. He moved his hands while he talked which was almost hypnotic. Something about the way he spoke and carried himself was compelling, and I could see how his whole family accepted him back so eagerly. He looked in my direction as I was analyzing him and I guess something about my pensive facial expression brought his story telling to a halt.

"Oh my, am I rambling?" He asked, a light blush painting his cheeks. I blinked a few times to see if it was real. _Was Ikuto's dad… embarrassed?_ I was taken aback, that kind of behavior was far different from Ikuto's.

"Not at all," Yui gently clapped Aruto on the back. "You always were the best storyteller," he added.

"If you found yourself in as many tricky situations as I have, you would be too" he joked, and the two men laughed.

Aruto glanced at the clock. "But look at the time. I've kept you all here for far too long," he said apologetically.

Yui shook his head. "Not at all, my friend," he assured. "But Tadase and I should probably get going. I'm sure Mizue is eager to hear how your family is doing."

The clock read that it was a little before nine. I couldn't believe we had been sitting there listening to him talk for almost two hours. He really was captivating.

We all stood up, chairs scraping along the floor. The six of us made our way towards the front door, Tadase and Yui leading the pack.

Aruto and Yui shared a parting hug. "Next time the four of you will have to have dinner at our house," Yui said as he released his friend.

"I think we'd all enjoy that," Aruto replied.

As I watched them, my eyes met Tadase's and he waved at me. "I'll see you later, Amu-chan," he said, and then peered behind me. "Utau-chan, Ikuto-kun," he waved at them too.

"Later," Ikuto gave him an easygoing wave.

"See you next time," Utau replied.

The two Hotori's left, and I realized it was once again just me and the Tsukiyomi family. _Crap…_ I still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Utau about Ikuto's current situation, but I really didn't want to awkwardly sit around until we had an opportunity to talk by ourselves.

"Um, I should probably head home, too," I said, disappointed with myself.

"Is your mother coming to get you? Does she need our address?" Souka asked.

"No that's okay, I'm just going to walk, it's not too far from here," I explained.

"Eh? But it's late, is it safe for a young girl to be walking home by herself?" Aruto commented, looking at Souka for an answer.

She shook her head, clearly disapproving of my decision. "I wouldn't feel comfortable sending you out there by yourself," she said. Then she turned to Ikuto. "Ikuto, you should walk her home," she requested, although the tone of her voice suggested that it wasn't optional.

"It's really alright," I waved my hands in objection. Walking with him by myself was recipe for disaster.

"No, they're right. I'll go with you," Ikuto chimed in, straightening up and walking past me to grab a jacket from a coat hanger near the door. I made a feeble attempt to protest but my pleas went unheard.

Overcome, I turned to Souka and Aruto. "Thank you for the food and hospitality," I said, presenting them with a small bow. "It was nice to formally meet you both."

Souka smiled. 'Of course, you're welcome to come over anytime," she said.

Aruto gave me a small wave. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

I nodded at him and Ikuto opened the door.

"Ready?" He asked, shrugging into his jacket.

I felt the color begin to creep up my face and I was frustrated with myself for not being able to calm down. "Yeah," I replied, and I walked outside.

"I'll be back," he called out to his parents before closing the door behind him.

I waited from him a few steps down the sidewalk, and then we began the trek to my house.

It's not like I hadn't walked with him by myself before, but the calm that Aruto's storytelling had brought over me had faded shortly after he stopped talking. Once again I was feeling unnerved by what Tadase had said before and I couldn't keep myself composed. On top of that, Ikutowas remaining unusually quiet. I searched my mind for anything to fill the silence with.

"You're parents are really kind people," I pointed out, clasping my hands tightly in front of me. I was sure he could see how nervous I was.

"They are quite fond of you," he said. I was caught off guard by his response.

"Huh? What for?" I asked. I had never even met them before.

He laughed quietly as if it was obvious. "They know that you had a key role in saving both Utau and I from Easter, and for that they are grateful," he explained.

I almost had to stop walking as I thought about that. "Oh, I had no idea," I admitted.

He stuck his hands in his pocket and looked up towards the sky. "It all seems like so long ago now, it's almost unreal to think about how different things were a few months ago," he admitted. I stared at him, speculating what was going through his head.

"I know what you mean," I followed his upward gaze. "It's the same way with my charas. Everything went back to normal so quickly, it's almost like they were never gone," I said. It wasn't the exact same situation, but I figured he would understand.

"Weird how things have turned out," was all he said.

I redirected my attention to the ground. "Yeah," I replied, and the silence dominated our conversation once more. I wrung my hands together. I had to ask him now, otherwise I'd be up half the night worrying about it.

"Hey Ikuto...Will you be going abroad again soon?" I managed to say, my heart racing with anticipation.

"Why do you ask? Worried you'll miss me too much?" He teased, the serious atmosphere dissipating.

I crossed my arms tightly, turning away from him. Unbelievable but expected. "I'm serious," I huffed.

I maintained my focus on the ground but I could see him glance at me from my peripheral, clearly surprised by my honest answer.

"Hmm, well seeing as my father is back for the time being, I suppose I'll be staying, too," he said, and I felt all the worry slide off my shoulders.

I was so relieved, but… "Weren't you enjoying playing music all over the world?"

He smiled. "Yeah, but it's not like I don't have time to hang out here for a bit, the world isn't going anywhere."

"I see," I replied, unable to keep myself from smiling. My heart was finally put at ease.

"You looked relieved," he interrupted my thoughts. "Did you miss me that badly?" he taunted me further.

"That's not it at all!" I said defensively. I missed him more than I could put into words, but I'd never let him know that.

He chuckled at me response. "Sure, sure," he said. I didn't reply, unwilling to be provoked any further.

We walked in a comfortable silence. I was glad the tense feeling from before had disappeared.

"Hey, Amu," Ikuto said after a while.

The tone of his voice was a bit different from before. "Huh?" I asked curiously.

"Earlier tonight you were outside with Tadase for quite a while, what was that about?"

I nearly lost my footing. "Oh, well that was …" _How was I supposed to explain that to him?_ I could see my house in the distance, and tried to work out if I could saill long enough until we got there.

"Ah, must have been something secretive then," he caught on right away, as would anyone with the kind of response I gave.

I laughed to try and cover up my apprehension. "Not really, it was just, he was saying," I couldn't find anything no matter how I racked my head.

"What? Did he say he was giving up on you or something?" He guessed with precision.

"W-what? No he–

He laughed loudly at my reaction. "Relax, he pulled me aside and talked to me while you were in the bathroom earlier," he explained, like that was supposed to alleviate my alarm.

"Ah, I see," I replied as casually as I could. What was I supposed to say in this kind of situation?

"So what will you do now?" He pried. _Damn it._ Why couldn't he just drop the subject.

"What do you mean?" I attempted to draw out the conversation. We were almost at my house, just a few more yards…

"Now that Tadase has given you up?" He clarified, even though I was confident he knew I was dancing around the answer.

"Oh that," I said like I had almost forgotten. "Well, I'm sure we'll still be friends, he's gotten a lot more mature so I think it'll be fine," I made an effort to change the course of the conversation.

I saw him shake his head with a smile. At least he was amused.

"That's not what I meant," he said as we arrived at the gate outside my house.

"R-really? What did you mean?" I stuttered, half ready to bolt inside to avoid answering.

"Amu," he purred.

"What?" I asked nervously, unable to keep up the façade any longer. He stared at me, more like he was thinking something over rather than waiting for me to answer him. My heart was pounding and even in the poor lighting outside my house there was no doubt in my mind that he could see how red my face was.

We stood like that for what felt like ages but was more likely only a few seconds. Eventually he let out sigh.

"It's fine I suppose," he said.

"Huh?" I asked, relieved he seemed to have given up for now.

"It's nothing," he said. "You'll tell me when you're ready." He reached out his hand and patted me on the head, gently ruffling my hair.

I shook my head in response. "What was that for?" I asked, trying to smooth out the mess he had made of my hair, but he was already walking away.

"Good night, Amu," he said with a wave.

"Jeez," _what was that all about?_

* * *

* ( **A/N** I think that's correct? But I could be wrong)

WOW it's really difficult to write characters that were hardly mentioned (Yui/Aruto/Souka). Like I just have to go off of a) their appearance and b) what their kids are like, which I feel like gives me a pretty okay grasp on them? But what do I know, I'm just a writer.

I ended up cutting this chapter down, originally having planned on including a few more scenes at the end, but it was just too long so moved them to the next chapter hehe.

Also on the topic of Tadase: I honestly got the vibe from the last few chapters of the series that he was preparing to let Amu go? Like Amuto4ev aside, while I was re-reading the manga I noticed how mature Tadase seemed to be getting towards the end and him letting Amu go in order for her to be her best self seemed inevitable to me, so I wanted to include it to avoid as many loose ends as I could.

My writing is still hella rusty but please bear with me!

See you in a few weeks my dudes.

Lucky words are: wonder, thought, look, turn, laugh, smile (aka I use them too much and this is how I call myself out haha [go ahead, ctrl+f 'look'. That's after I've gone through and cut it down])


	3. Chapter 3

I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG AHH I am 110% dedicated to this fic I just get way too distracted sometimes. Anyways let's gooo

* * *

"I'm home!" I called out, shutting the door behind me.

"Welcome back," my mom greeted me. "How was dinner?"

I was having trouble shaking off the strangeness of what just happened, but I didn't want her to catch on. "It was fine," I replied, deciding it was best not to go into the thrilling technicalities. "Tadase's family was there, too, so that was a pleasant surprise," I gave her a small detail as I walked into the kitchen. The last thing I needed was her prying about my abnormal behavior.

"That's wonderful! It sounds like you had fun," she said as she was putting some dishes away. " I'd love to meet their parents sometime, they must be kind people.".

I was drinking out of a glass of water and nearly choked at her last comment. "Why?" I managed to cough out.

"Well I know those two are important friends of yours so of course I'd like to get to know the rest of their family," she gave me a look. "Do you not want me to meet them?" She asked.

I shuddered at the thought, but I wasn't about to tell her no. "No, no, that's fine. But I'm not sure when I'll be seeing them next," I replied, which was true.

"Get me their contact information next time you see them! I can plan dinner at our house next time," she suggested casually, and I didn't even want to think about how that would play out.

"Of course," I said and then broke away from the conversation and fled upstairs. I was horrified at the thought of my mom trying to get involved with Ikuto's family. There were at least a thousand humiliating scenarios I could picture off the top of my head and I would do everything in my power to make sure my mom never got their phone numbers.

I got to my room and found Ami still avidly tormenting my charas.

"Amu-chan!" They screamed when they saw the door open and flew towards me, trembling behind my back. It looked like it had been a long couple of hours for them.

I placed a hand on my hip. "Ami, have you been playing nice?" I interrogated. She nodded energetically, but my fear-stricken charas suggested otherwise.

"We almost died," I heard Ran cry behind me and I sighed. No doubt they were being a bit dramatic, but four and half hours with Ami was probably enough torture for one day.

"Alright Ami, it's time for you to go," I said, pointing to the door. She sulked at me but didn't argue as she left. I shut the door after her.

"How was Ikuto's?" Dia asked. I exhaled and slowly sunk to the floor in response, unleashing all of the weight that I had been carrying since the start of the night.

The four of them gathered around me, their expressions filled with concern and confusion. "What's wrong, Amu-chan?" Ran spoke.

I rolled to my side. "I don't even know where to start," I confessed. But I did my best to explain the last four hours in the most coherent way possible, but everything had been so overwhelming it was starting to blur together.

They sat on edge the whole time. I couldn't believe my life had become so dramatic that it was like a story to them.

"What a romantic night," Dia blushed.

"Ah, we missed so many exciting moments because we were too busy being tortured," Suu complained.

I sat up and crossed my legs. "I'm sorry you guys, I'll try to keep her from bugging you for a while," I apologized. I regretted not bringing them, they probably could have provided some helpful moral support.

I mulled over the events of the night. Ikuto… That guy has really has put me in a troublesome situation. I felt like I should be less confused about everything after all that happened, but instead I was feeling more distracted than ever.

"Is it love desu~" Suu taunted as she floated by my face.

"Suu!" I yelled, making a grab for her but she narrowly avoided it. Maybe it was a good thing that I left them here.

I wanted to tell her to stop saying such weird stuff, but I just didn't know anymore. I turned my gaze to the ground. The feelings I had for Ikuto were so much stronger than anything I had ever felt before, which I knew wasn't saying much at my age, yet I couldn't help but worry about it. I knew if it had been Ikuto who pulled me aside and told me he was letting me go instead of Tadase, I would have been devastated. My heart could hardly bear the thought of it. But how did I know if it was love or not?

"How am I supposed to know the difference between liking someone and loving them?" I asked, but I wasn't really looking for an answer from them.

"That's easy, Amu-chan!" Suu responded. I gave her a bewildered look. What did they know about love?

"Suu is right, love is easy… Love is all about excitement and new surprises all the time!" Ran explained with her overwhelming optimism.

Miki nodded. "Love is passion and intensity, too. It's like an art all by itself," she added, squaring her fingers together like she was sizing up a painting.

"It's warm and comforting, like a cup of hot tea or freshly baked cookies on a cold morning," Suu explained.

"Right! Love is a light feeling from deep within your heart that makes you shine," Dia said.

"Excitement… and comfort?" I asked. All of their views on love seemed to conflict with each other a bit. I appreciated them trying to help me feel better, but I just wasn't sure if their definitions were reliable in this situation. At any rate, love sounded more complicated than anything else. I rested my head against the edge of my bed, trying to put together all these pieces. I hardly sorted out a thought when there was a knock at my door.

"Amu-chan, can I come in?" My mother's voice came from the hallway.

"Yes," I said, lifting my head up so as to not look so stressed.

She opened the door and shut it behind her, which I thought was a little peculiar. " How are you doing, Amu? I could hear you talking to yourself from down the hall. You sounded a little upset," she asked, taking a seat on the floor in front of me.

I was unnerved at her words. Had I been complaining that loudly? I prayed she hadn't been able to make sense of what I was talking about.

"Is everything okay?" She pried when I didn't respond.

I scratched the back of my head and gave her a forced smile. "Yeah I'm fine, but thank you for checking on me," I lied through my teeth and she raised an eyebrow at me. As I suspected she saw straight through my deceit.

She place her hand on my knee. "You know you can always talk to me about anything. I'm your mom, it's what I'm here for," she said. I considered just thanking her and dropping the subject, but I didn't like keeping secrets from her, and a small part of me hoped she might have some advice for me.

"Um, mama…" I started, clasping my hands together. There was really no easy way to ask this, but I was at a loss. "What do you know about love?" The words made my cheeks burn, but she was an adult so she seemed like a reliable person to ask.

She looked taken aback. "Love?" She repeated. I nodded but averted my gaze from hers.

I wrung my hands. "Well, more specifically, how do you know if you love someone, I guess is what I'm trying to ask," I clarified, knowing I was in too deep to back out now.

I saw her smile then. "Oh I see, so you like a boy, hm?" She inquired.

I blushed, crossing my arms. "Mama please!" I said defensively.

She laughed at my response. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This must be serious for you if you are coming to me about it. Your first crush…" She clutched her heart for what I assumed was a dramatic effect, but her assumption was only half right. Tadase had been my first crush, Ikuto was different.

"Is it Tadase? He's a cute looking boy, and so nice, too," she asked. I had been worried she would meddle into the details of it and she confirmed my suspicions.

I shook my head. "No, we are actually just friends now," I explained, unsure of why I felt a need to clarify that.

"I see…" She tapped her chin a few times. "So it must be Ikuto-kun then, right?" She guessed. I quickly reddened and no doubt gave myself away. _How did she guess so fast?_ I didn't give her an audible answer but I was sure she was able to put it together. I continued to stare at my hands. It was out in the open now.

"I thought so," she commented. "He's a nice boy, too. But he's a little old for you, don't you think?" She asked, as if I wasn't already aware of that. Still, I felt discourage at her words.

My expression must have been disheartening because she added "At least right now, anyways," a moment later. I appreciated her assurance. I willed myself to glance up at her and saw her looking deep in thought.

"Well, love is complicated," she said.

"Yeah, I figured that much out myself," I replied, thinking back to my charas' explanations.

"But it's more than that," she said. She thoughtful rubbed her chin. "Let's see… Love can happen a lot of ways. It can be intense and sudden, or it can be a slow build up over a long period of time. And sometimes it can feel like both all at once," she said, complexing it further. "It's being able to feel safe and comfortable with a person one second and thrilled or anxious the next; it can be unpredictable, which can sometimes make it scary. But love also brings out the best in you, and it may even reveal sides of yourself you never knew you had," she went on. I was puzzled and captivated by her wisdom. I was glad I opened up to her

"Most importantly," she said, and I was filled with anticipation. "Love is what you make it out to be. In the end, it has to be a decision you make yourself. You get to decide what love is to you, and that's what makes it so fun and so complicated. I wish there was a textbook answer I could give you, but that would take all the excitement out of it," she teased. "Unfortunately it's more of a trial and error sort of experience. Some people figure it out the first time around, others don't understand it until they are my age. So, to answer your question 'How do you know if you love someone?', my suggestion would be to think about these things and decide if your feelings and this person fits your definition of love," she advised. She must of have took me bewildered expression for confusion and added, "I'm sorry, I wish I had a better way of explaining it."

I shook my head at her, feeling far more reassured than before. "No, it's okay, your explanation was really helpful." She had said a lot of the same things that Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia had mentioned. But she had also said something about 'the best side of you', which is what Tadase had said earlier tonight. Why did everyone around me seem to know so much about love?

I must have looked distracted because I felt my mom place her hands on mine. "You're a smart girl, Amu. I'm sure you'll make the right call. And even if everything seems complicated or wrong, remember; you're still so young. You have all the time in the world to figure things out; who you are, who you love… you have time, so don't rush yourself, okay?" She asked. I just nodded again, too caught up in my thoughts to come up with a response.

She stood up and made her way towards my door, but stopped half way. "Let's try to keep this between you and me though. I don't know how thrilled Papa would be to hear about his little girl's love life," she smiled, putting a finger up to her lips.

"Thanks," I said, both for her advice and for that.

After she left I crawled onto my bed, my Chara's watching me intently as I pondered everyone's words. So far all I had learned was that love was complicated and there was no easy way to make sense of it. There were too many factor and feelings to consider to look at if from any sort of logical approach. I recalled some of the things both my mom and charas had said. They had mentioned safety and comfort, which is something Ikuto has always made me feel. He's always done whatever he could to keep me safe, even if it wasn't the best for him. _And I've done the same for him…_ The thought crossed my mind. I'd do anything to ensure he was safe and happy, but I felt that way about my friends, too, so why was it different with him?

And even though he spent what seemed like every waking hour making fun of me and teasing me, I always felt more comfortable around him than most people. I've been able to show him all different sides of myself, and not have to worry about him judging me. Ikuto was constantly surprising me and doing things to make me happy, too. And I guess I was intensely irritated with him every other moment, but my mom also said love was a choice, so I guess I could interpret that how I wanted. I felt all these things with Ikuto; on edge and at home all at once. My stomach was in knots.

"Ugh," I groaned and rolled over. My gaze fell on my phone sitting on my night stand and I grabbed it without much thought. I flipped it open and started a new message.

To Ikuto:  
 _Thanks for walking me home._

I felt compelled to reach out to him in someway, and this was all that came to mind. I wavered for a heartbeat and sent it, then returned to my curled up position. I stared off into space, not sure what to do with myself.

"Amu-chan…" Ran drifted into my line of vision, disrupting my thoughts.

I reached out and gently patted her head. "I'm sorry everyone, I don't mean to worry you. I'm just have trouble sorting things out," I explained.

"You know we always have your back, Amu-chan," Ran gave me a thumbs up.  
"We're always on your side–

"And we will always help you do your best–

"Suu, too~"

I smiled at their encouragements. "Thank you, I don't know what I would do without you all." I was so grateful for them during times like these.

Suu flew over a fluffed up my pillow. "You should try to sleep, you've had a long day," she suggested. I nodded, worming my way under the covers without bothering to change. Suu turned off the light and the four of them went inside their eggs.

I heard them snoring away a few minutes later, but I was wide awake, my mind far too active to even consider rest. Where would things go from here? How could one short conversation completely change everything I thought I knew?

My room was suddenly cast in a dim light and I saw my phone screen had lit up. I snatched it off the table and flipped it open, squinting at the bright display. After my eyes adjusted I was able to make out the message.

From Ikuto:  
 _Of course. Sleep well._

It was a generic response, but it still made me smile. I was in way over my head.

I woke up the next morning to Ami talking excitedly at the edge of my bed.

"Let's go let's go let's go!" She repeated loudly.

I blinked furiously as I tried to understand what was happening. "A-Ami what are you doing?" I struggled to sit up, knowing I would not be going back to sleep after this. "What time is it?" I glanced out the window, but it was hard to tell the time during the summer since the sun rose so early.

"Time to go!" She was jumping up and down now. I saw my charas peeking out of their eggs with terrified expressions.

"Go where? What are you talking about?" I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands.

She stopped jumping momentarily. "Mama told me you said you would take me out today," she giggled mischievously and then it came rushing back. _Crap_. I had mislead my mom yesterday and it had come back to haunt me.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. Where did you want to go?"

"Ice cream!" She exclaimed. I saw my charas peek out of their shells a bit more at the mention of ice cream.

"Isn't it a little early for ice cream?" I asked in the middle of a yawn.

She thought about that for a moment, and then her eyes lit up with a solution. "Taiyaki _then_ ice cream!" She squealed.

"Both?!" I asked incredulously.

"Both!" The four characters completely came out of their eggs to chime in their opinions.

"Jeez..." I complained. "At least let me take a shower first," I said, not away enough to deal with their enthusiasm.

"Yay!" The five of them shouted in unison. I was amazed at how quickly they joined together when they wanted something.

I took my time showering and getting ready for the day. I knew once we left we probably wouldn't be back for while, assuming they get distracted by one thing or another. I came down stairs a little after ten and saw Ami eagerly waiting by the door with my charas hovering near her. I sighed, she acted like she never got to go out and do things.

"Where are the two of you going?" My mom asked.

"Taiyaki and ice cream!" Ami said. I winced, my mom was not going to be happy about me buying so many treats for her so early in the morning.

"Amu," she gave me an annoyed look

"We'll be back in a bit," I apologized with a collection of small bows before we took off out the door.

"Ami if you don't slow down I'm going to make you hold my hand the whole way there," I called after my sister, who was running full speed ahead of me. If it wasn't for her short legs I would have no chance keeping up. She stopped and pouted at my words, but thankfully listened to them.

I managed to reel them all in as we made our way to the shops, but once we got to the strip of food stands and small entertainment venues that were set up for the break they were off looking at something else every other second. I was forced to jog around to keep up with them since they had decided my words and threats held no power here. I saw them finally come to a stop about three shops ahead of me and when I caught up to them I knew why.

"Taiyaki!" Ami said happily.

"Give me a second to catch my breath," I panted. But their expectant eyes wouldn't give me a moments rest. I handed the shop owner enough money for five cakes which would hopefully keep them preoccupied for at least a few minutes. I couldn't believe I got dragged into buying them food again.

We walked around the shops for a while, and they seemed to be entertaining themselves enough. As we strolled about watching the street performers and tourists, I kept daydreaming about running into Ikuto, and then criticized myself for having such thoughts. How was I supposed to focus on anything when he was always on my mind.

"Ne, can we ride the carousel?" Ami tugged on my skirt and brought me out of my fantasies.

"Yeah, just be careful please," I said. I hoped they wouldn't get sick riding it after just eating.

"Are you not gonna ride with us?" Ran asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'm gonna sit this one out," I said.

"Amu-chan, come have fun with us," Suu tried to convince me.

"I don't like carnival rides," I said. All four of them glared at me, because they knew better. They've seen me have the time of my life at the amusement park with Ikuto multiple times, but they didn't try to persuade me further. I reminisced over those memories fondly but tried to shake them off. I couldn't spend the rest of my life thinking about him.

I watched them go around on the carousel once, twice, three times, and then I stopped counting because the motion was starting to make me feel nauseous. I settled into the bench on I wa knowing I'd be here a while. I peered around the area in spite of myself. I knew I wouldn't see him, but there was no harm in looking.

I was surprised, instead, to see Nagihiko walking along the busy street.

"Nagi! Hey!" I called out, waving my hand to try and get his attention. He looked around for a moment and then his line of sight met mine. He smiled and waved back and started walking towards me.

"How are you, Amu-chan?" He asked as he approached, Rhythm and Temari following behind him.

"I'm… good," I hesitated, and I hoped he wouldn't think much of it. He took a seat next to me and looked a slightly suspicious, but I interrupted before he could inquire more. "What brings you out here?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm just out and about. I enjoy watching the different dancers on the strip. They all have such a unique style, I like to see if I can learn anything from them," he explained.

"Are you still practicing dance a lot?" I asked.

"Always," he laughed. I saw his two characters whisper something in his ear. He gave them a nod and they flew towards the carousel to join the party. I smiled, they were all easily entertained.

"And what about you? What are you here for?" Nagi asked a moment later.

I swung my legs back and forth. "I got sucked into taking my little sister out," I half-complained. "They've been on that ride for almost ten minutes now."  
"That's got to be worth an award or something," Nagi said and I giggled. "But that was nice of you, even if it wasn't exactly how you wanted to spend your day," he said.

"Well thanks," I replied, even though he was going me too much credit.

I saw him look at me out of my peripheral. "You seem troubled Amu-chan, is everything alright?"  
 _Caught_. "What makes you say that?" I said, in the most obvious way possible.

He gave me a knowing look. "Because I have been your friend for years; I know you."

I looked at my feet, not really sure if this was something I wanted to talk about just yet. It was a pretty intense subject, but then again, Nagi made a point. He has been my best friend for years now. If there were any one of my friends I could talk about this with, it was him.

"Would it help if I put my hair up?" He joked and I shook my head with a small smile.

"No, that's okay," I said, even if it may have helped a bit. I exhaled. "I'm not even sure where to begin…" I confessed.

'Well, there's no rush," he said, looking at the carousel. "It looks like they're just getting started." Ami and our charas were still shrieking with glee as they circled round and round. He was not wrong about that. "And there's no need to force yourself, just know that I'm here if you change your mind, okay?" He comforted. He was so good at that.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but the words were bubbling at my lips the whole time.

"Nagi… Have you ever loved someone?" I finally managed spit out.

"Eh?" He looked surprised by my words. "That's kind of a strange question," he commented. I noted a trace of blush on his face, but I decided to save that question for another time.

"I know, but I just need to hear someone else's take on it," I clarified. My charas and my mom both gave me some much needed advice, but I thought maybe someone closer to my age could give me some more insight.

"I see… Well, of course I've loved people before; my parents, my charas, my friends. But I have a feelings that's not the kind of love you are asking about?" He asked. My gaze remained fixed on the ground. He took my lack of response as an answer. "Hmm, well I can't say I have ever loved someone like that, but I know what it's like to be fond of someone, if that would help?" He explained, but I felt dismayed. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have known better than to drag one of my friends into this. We were hardly middle schoolers, love was still such a foreign concept.

"Is there someone you love, Amu-chan?" He questioned. I wasn't expecting him to ask so abruptly.

"I… I'm not really sure," I answered honestly.

"I see," he responded. "Have you talked to this person about it at all? Do you know if they have feelings for you?" He asked, and I appreciated him not prying too deeply.

I thought back to all the times Ikuto had confessed his feelings for me; that night in my room, the airport, exchanges at the wedding… I had no doubt his feelings were true. "Yeah," there was no need to elaborate.

Nagi nodded. "Well if you know this person cares about you, then why are you hesitating?" He asked.

I had to think about that for a moment. I was hesitant to reach a conclusion for a number of reasons. Love seemed like I was treading way too much into adult territory and it was scary. And I felt like I couldn't be sure about anything unless I was sure of myself, and my four characters were a sign that I still had a long way to go. I was worried about things changing. The relationship I had with Ikuto now was fun and lighthearted for the most part. If I confessed something as serious as love, who knows how that could change. And on top of all these worries, Ikuto was so much older than me. He joked about being a kid a lot, but to me he was practically an adult. He was on a journey to figure out his life, and he could easily meet someone his aged he liked, or his feelings for me could simply fade. Even if I did love him, I couldn't ask for him to put his life on hold for me. There were too many factors to consider.

"Change is frightening. There are so many different ways things could go wrong, and I guess I'd rather just stay wavering in place than risk messing things up," I explained. I wondered if Nagi had any idea who I was talking about. He probably thought I was worried about Tadase. I wondered if he would have different advice for me if he knew that wasn't the case.

He nodded at my worries. "That's understandable, but would you rather hesitate forever and never explore those feelings further?" He looked at me, waiting for an answer.

I turned my attention back to the carousel. "I wish I knew," I replied. Of course there was a part of me that wanted to know where things could go, a part of me that fantasized what things could be like four or five years from now. But none of that was set in stone, protecting my feelings seemed to make more sense than to risk investing in something so unknown.

Nagi grabbed one of my hands, drawing me from my thoughts. "You're right, Amu. Change is scary, believe me I know. But think back on all the times you've made a decision that changed things. Sure, sometimes it doesn't always work about, but more often than not these changes were for the better, right?" He said, and I knew he had a point. My charas came from my desire to change, and I had no idea where I'd be without them. I changed how I presented myself and learned how to make friends with people. Almost my entire self has changed in one way or another over the last few years, and I couldn't imagine going back on any of it. Nagi was right. Even if it was easier said than done and didn't always seem like the best option, change has to happen for us to move forward.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Nagi. You always know the best thing to say."

He gave my hand a squeeze and released it. "I'm sure everything will work out for you, Amu-chan. It seems like you really care about this person a lot if you're this concerned about it. And if this person shares your feelings, I have no doubt that it will work out for you both," he said, reassuring me further.

"Ni-chan, I feel sick," Ami's complaining drew me from my conversation with Nagi. I saw her and our charas stumbling towards us, hands on their stomachs. I guess even they couldn't ride it forever.

"That's what happens when you don't get off for twenty minutes," I told her. Temari and Rhythm collapsed on Nagi's head. They didn't have the stamina that Ran and the others had built up over the years.

Ami's cross-eyed gaze focused on Nagi. "Ooh, so pretty," she gushed, quickly shaking off her dizzy spell.

"Hello, Ami-chan. Did you have fun?" He asked, and Ami nodded enthusiastically.

"What were Nagi and Amu talking about? You looked so serious just now," Dia asked curiously.

"Nothing important," I waved her off. "Are you guys ready to head home now?" I asked. Ami nodded again and Nagi and I stood up.

We walked down the street together and Nagi laughed when my sister was on the verge of tears begging me to buy her ice cream. Of course 'her' meant Ami as well as every other sweet-toothed character with us. _So much for feeling sick_.

After a bit of meandering we reach the road where we had to go our separate ways.

"It was nice talking with you, Nagi. We have to make sure to see each other more over break," I said, grateful for his company.

"Of course Amu-chan, I always enjoy our time together," he said, and then he knelt down and ruffled Ami's hair. "It was nice to see you again, too," he added, and she giggled. He stood back up and looked at me. "Next time you see Ikuto, tell him I said hi," he smiled and went on his way. I cocked my head to the side. That seemed totally irrelevant. But then it dawned on me that that must have been his way of letting me know he knew exactly what I was worrying about. He was too good at reading me. I was glad I didn't have anything to hide from him.

"What was the long-haired boy talking about?" Ami asked, and my charas were looking at me suspiciously.

"Eat your ice cream," I ignored them again and started walking. "Let's head home."

Maybe Nagi was right, perhaps there was a way to make this work out. I still wasn't sure how I would go about handling the situation, and I was sure there would be no lack of embarrassment on my part, but I think this was another change I needed to try and work towards to be my best self. And like both my mom and Nagi had said, here was no rush. I had all summer to figure out what I was going to do, and more time after that. I smiled despite knowing my charas were watching me closely. I was nervous, but there were traces of excitement mixed in with it, too.

* * *

Once again, thanks for waiting everyone! I really intended to get this out over spring break, but I got caught up in some other writing projects and Naruto lol. I have the ending for this story all planned and I'm so excited to write it, but I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna get there. But I promise I will! Thanks for standing by me and I'll see you next time ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well. I've been doing a lot with this story lately! A lot of it is me messing around with the outline, and I'm thinking this story will probably come out between 16-20 chapters depending on how closely I follow it one way or another. Not as many as my other two but there is no doubt the word count on this bad boy will far surpass them both, haha. I'm really excited about where it's gonna go!

Also I'm rewatching the anime bc I'll never be able to let this story go lol. And I'm hoping it'll help me with some of my transition issues heh. And I'll stop talking now ^^

* * *

Somehow nearly a week and a half had passed without my notice. And the only reason it came to my attention was when my mom pointed out that I had been cooped up in the house for all that time.

"Really?" I asked her one morning over breakfast. I hadn't even realized how much time had passed.

"Yeah, what have you been up to that's making you so distracted? I know it's summer vacation, but you really should try and go outside once in awhile," she said.

"I don't know," I said absentmindedly. I supposed I had a lot on my mind these days, and by a lot I mostly meant Ikuto. Despite the resolve I had felt after talking with Nagi, it had all but faded completely before I had a chance to act on it and I felt like I was back to square one. I almost missed having a big bad to fight; at least it was a distraction from other pressing matters.

"Why don't you call some of your friends? I'm sure they'd like to see you since they are used to being with you almost every day," my mom suggested.

She made a good point. We hadn't all been together since the wedding, so maybe hanging out would be a good idea... And a good distraction. There was a part of me that still wanted to see Ikuto, but I wasn't sure how things would be after our last conversation, so that was off the table. But getting together with the rest of the gang seemed like a fun way to get me out of whatever slump I had gotten stuck in. I nodded thoughtfully at her proposal. "Maybe I'll see if any of them can get together today," I told her.

"That seems like a great idea," she smiled, collecting my plate from in front of me and taking it into the kitchen.

I took that as my cue to exit and returned to my room where I found my phone lighting up with messages. I had three messages from Yaya that could have easily been sent in one.

 _Amu-chiii_

 _Hiii_

 _Kairi and I are getting a head start on some of this year's guardian responsibilities :( You should come join us for old times :p_

It sounded like she just wanted a distraction from whatever Kairi was trying to make her do, but lucky for her I was looking for one, too. I couldn't believe they were already getting started on guardian duties when school had just gotten out a few weeks ago. I was even more surprised Yaya agreed to help with school stuff during her vacation. Perhaps she was so bored at home she thought doing work with a friend would be more fun. I questioned how those two would get along in the year to come with such conflicting work habits... But at least I had some plans for the day. I replied to her saying I'd be at the royal garden as soon as I could. I told my charas where we were going and they were more excited to get out of the house than I was. I got dressed and headed out soon after.

I arrived at the garden about an hour later. The walk over was pretty miserable in the heat, and Ran and the others complained the whole way over, but I was looking forward to seeing some of my friends. All the flowers that had been planted around the school during the spring were still blooming in all sorts of colors. If it wasn't for the heat it would have been a nice place to sit and relax.

As I approached the entrance I heard Yaya complaining loudly about something, followed by what sounded like Kukai. Had she invite him too? When I entered the building I saw Yaya and Kairi standing around clearly trying to sort out some issue with Kukai as the moderator. At the table I spotted Tadase and Nagihiko watching the other three with amused expressions. It looked like she had invited everyone, which was a pleasant surprise for me, but Kairi looked irritated.

My charas flew off to greet their friends and Yaya spotted me as I walked up the stairs. "Agh, Amu-chi, tell Kairi that giving everyone at school a survey to fill out about their complaints is too much work," she cried and I let out a laugh. I guess Kairi wasn't cutting her any slack.

"Hi to you, too," I greeted as I reached the table.

Kairi looked like he was about to go off. "It's not just for their complaints," he told Yaya and then turned to me. "The survey will be available for students to make their complaints, comments, and suggestions known to the guardians so that we might better serve them," he explained. He didn't have to justify himself to me, but Yaya appeared to have completely blocked him out.

I weighed both sides of the argument. "I don't know, it seems like a survey might be a valuable thing to utilize," I admitted, and false tears streamed down Yaya's face at the prospect of doing extra work. "But maybe you could make it an optional survey? So that way you won't have so many papers to sort through?" I suggested, looking at Kairi.

He adjusted his glasses in response. "Duly noted, Hinamori-san," he said. Yaya still looked reluctant to take on any more work than she had to. I turned my attention to Nagi who was sitting to my left.

"Hello, Amu-chan," he gave me a belated greeting. "We were just talking about when you would arrive."

"How long ago did you guys get here?" I asked, trying to tune out the bickering going on to my right.

Tadase sighed with a smile. "Yuiki-san texted me before her and Sanjou-san were even on their way, so I've been here for quite some time," he explained. "And–

"And I found Tadase passed out on the table when I arrived," Nagi cut him off with a grin.

Tadase blushed. "Nagihiko-kun, you could have left that part out," he said and I giggled. I couldn't deny he looked cute when he was flustered.

Nagi laughed, too. "Yaya showed up with Kairi and Kukai a little while later," he finished. "I'm almost surprised you didn't beat them here," he joked.

I scratched the back of my head. "I had a bit of a slow morning," I confessed. Time was passing by faster than I could keep up and I felt like I was trying to run underwater. But I was glad I hadn't missed too much.

"I see," Nagi replied. Then he leaned forward a bit. "So, how are you and your problem?" He asked, his tone of voice clearly referring back to our conversation from last week. I was sure he worded it vaguely to keep the others in the dark, but the ambiguity only spotlighted the issue. I wasn't really worried about Tadase overhearing, but the others...

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Yaya interjected, her attention shifting onto me.

How did she even catch that over arguing with Kairi? I looked at her peering eyes for a moment but returned my gaze back to Nagi. "Um, it remains unresolved," I confessed, also attempting to be as obscure as possible. I came here to try to avoid thinking about it and I hoped it wouldn't become the center of attention.

Of course my vague wording only piqued her interest further. "Amu-chi, what are you talking about?" Yaya pressed, leaning in close to me.

I anxiously angled away from her. When Yaya wanted something she could bore straight into your soul. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it," I tried to convince her with a faltering voice, which had the opposite effect. I saw Tadase and Nagi laughing to themselves. Perhaps I had made a mistake making my issues known to parts of the group. I was unsure how long I could keep it from the rest of them at this rate.

I still felt Yaya scrutinizing me but I did my best to ignore her. "So Kairi, what do you have planned for the coming year?" I asked in an effort to redirect the conversation.

He had previously been pouting by himself but brightened up at my question. I guess everyone else had been trying to disregard his graphs and charts talk. He sat up straight, looking reenergized. "Well, I've only been doing a small amount of brainstorming, with no help from our senior member," he muttered the last part, but I was sure Yaya still heard him based on her annoyed expression. "But, I've come up with a few different proposals." He sifted through the alarmingly tall stack of papers on the table until he found what he was looking for. "When the quarter begins we'll be hosting a game night on the school grounds so that the new and old students can get a chance to meet before classes begin," he explained. "And since summer will just be coming to an end the weather will be good, so we'd be able to accommodate everyone outside and have a wider variety of events available."

That was quite a bit of thought for a simple brainstormed idea. "That seems like a great plan," I commented and he nodded in thanks, continuing to read through different papers.

"Yuiki-san suggested a trip to an amusement park or skating rink, but that vast number of people and cost makes it seem impractical if not impossible," he said, shooting Yaya a look that she aggressively ignored. "And I proposed a book exchange of some sort, but the Ace said that wouldn't go over well," he continued to glare at her over the top of his glasses.

Yaya turned away from him. "Books are boring. Why not have something more fun like a toy or dessert exchange?" She objected. I recalled that she liked those comics Rima used to read, but I think she was just trying to find a way to pick a fight with whatever he suggested because it meant putting off actually working on it.

I sighed. What happened to the teamwork that went into creating the paper mâché confetti ball for the promotion ceremony? "Why not include the exchange idea in your survey?" I butted into their never ceasing bickering. "Ask people which one they'd prefer and go from there. Or have them at separate times during the semester. Or find a way to combine them into one event," I suggested. "And if you include events in the survey maybe it will motivate more students to fill it out so you'll be able to get more opinions on other topics, too," I listed off a handful of options in hopes that they could both agree to at least one.

"Amu makes an excellent point, asking them what they want rather than planning one or the other and hoping for the best might be the most productive way to go about it," Tadase agreed. Maybe if we all ganged up on the two of them they'd come to a compromise.

Kairi and Yaya crossed their arms in unison, clearly not wanting to agree with each other. But after a few moments of silence, Kairi eased up a bit.

"I suppose those suggestions could work out in the student's best interest, which would be the ideal," he confessed. "And survey results would be more accurate if we got a wider variety of students to fill it out," he added with a tone that said, 'why didn't I think of that before?'. I nodded and then turned to Yaya, who didn't appear like she was about to budge. I gave her a hard look.

She pursed her lips for another second before giving in to the peer pressure. "I guess that would work," she admitted.

Kukai threw his hands in the air. "Alright!" He exclaimed triumphantly and put his arms around their shoulders, drawing them close. "See, agreeing isn't so hard," he grinned widely, and the two of them grumbled. "Now what's the next topic?" He asked and Yaya quickly shot that idea down.

"No more ideas! That was way too much work," she complained and tried to break out of Kukai's grasp. Her fidgeting quickly turned into an all-out wrestling match between her and Kukai, and Kairi got dragged into it because of his close proximity.

"Guys, we have important business to work on!" He struggled to say as Kukai dragged him back into the fray.

"We can work and play at the same time," Kukai said while holding Kairi in a loose headlock and I laughed. Kukai always had a way to get people working on the same team.

I was more amused as I watched Daichi, Ran, and Rhythm join in the tussle. The new members reignited the scuffle and they were back at it again a moment later. I almost felt bad for Kairi, but loosening up a bit would be good for him.

"How do you think they'll fair without us?" Tadase asked, breaking me away from the brawl.

I shook my head, not entirely certain. "Well," I hesitated. I was pretty sure they'd be fine… pretty sure.

Nagi chuckled. "You should have more confidence in them," he said. "I have a feeling when we aren't here they get along better. But you know Yaya, she always has to put up her childish act," he reminded us in a low voice so she wouldn't hear.

That was true, no one could out-do Yaya at going over the top. "Well she never fails at that," I said fondly, still watching the three of them bicker. I was going to miss these get togethers once our journey to middle school began. I was sure we'd still see each other often, but I imagined it would be difficult to get us all together at once like this. Everything was going to be so different in just a few months.

"So, Amu-chan," Tadase started. "How are you and Ikuto-niisan?" I was abruptly torn from my thoughts. I knew deftly avoiding this conversation was too good to be true.

Somehow the question had caught the attention of Kukai, Kairi, and Yaya, who broke up their squabble to tune in. Another stroke of luck. I tensed at all the attention on me.

"Huh? How do you mean?" I tried to play it off casually. Why was everyone so keen on knowing what was going on between us. I glanced at Nagi who was resting his chin on his hands, clearly interested in my answer, too.

"What about Ikuto?" Yaya interrupted, her curiosity ignited once again.

I couldn't have Tadase or Nagi clarifying the specifics. "Um... I haven't seen him since we were at his house last week, so," I trailed off. It seemed like a fairly harmless answer, and definitely better than Tadase trying to explain the whole story, but I realized too late it opened up an entire new realm of questions.

"Eh Amu-chi, why were you at his house?" Yaya asked with that suspicious look again.

My face reddened. I was basically digging my own grave. "I was just visiting," I tried not to act too defensive, but I was sure it came off as just the opposite.

Yaya folded her arms in front of her and frowned. "Jeez, first Kukai and now you," she complained.

Kukai let out a laugh but her remark made me more apprehensive. _What was that supposed to mean?_ I buried my face in my hands. "Please, we are just friends," I groaned, though I doubted anything I said would help me right now. I was beginning to accept that I was doomed to be picked apart by my friends.

"Sure, sure, that's why you're turning so red," she slumped in her chair, obviously not happy at the thought of another one her friends being involved with someone like Kukai and Utau were.

I dragged my hands down my face. If I had known it was going to come to this I would have just stayed at home for another week. "It's because I'm overheating! It's the middle of summer and we are sitting outside in a glasshouse," I made a feeble attempt to deflect her statement, but I didn't place much hope on it.

I watched her closely, waiting for another accusatory response. Instead she seemed to be pondering what I said. She looked deep in thought for a brief moment but then she sunk into her chair more. "Ugh, it's way too hot," she moaned, completely changing directions. In that moment I was incredibly grateful for her short attention span, but she only hunched for a few seconds before popping up again. "We should all go to the beach!" She said with new resolve. I exhaled in relief as she got further and further away from the previous topic.

Kairi, who was still trying to fix his disheveled appearance, looked upset at the notion. "Yuiki-san, what about the work we were supposed to do?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No more work. It's summer vacation, we are supposed to be relaxing and having fun," she explained, completely rejecting him. He didn't bother trying to argue with her, and I couldn't blame him; she was relentless.

"It seems a little late in the day to go all the way to the beach," Tadase noted.

Yaya looked like she was about to argue against that, but then let out a defeated sigh. "And I have to watch my little brother later," she grumbled. "What about tomorrow?"

I was going to agree, but then Tadase spoke again. "I have plans with my family all day tomorrow," he said. "What about the day after?"

Nagi shook his head. "I can't then. We could try for Thursday?" He suggested.

They were going in circles. I remembered that Rima would be coming back to town Friday night, and this seemed like something she would want to be a part of. "Why don't we go Saturday? Rima will be home by then and we can all go," I said.

Yaya looked upset that she'd have to wait so long, but she agreed to it.

"I think that will be nice," Nagi commented.

"Then it's settled! Beach on Saturday," Kukai said enthusiastically. "I hope you're all prepared for a day of endless water action," he half threatened. I smiled. We hadn't all gone to the beach together in ages. I was excited for an entire day out with my friends.

Once the plans were set we all elected to head our separate ways, agreeing it was too hot to get anything else done. I shared a look with Nagi and Tadase who seemed totally oblivious to my discomfort with what had almost happened. Overcome, I said my goodbyes and made the sweltering walk home.

"Man, that was way too close," I breathed a sigh of relief. I wondered how long I could keep Yaya off my back about this.

"Why does it matter if your friends know? It's not like they would judge you for it," Dia asked.

"I don't know about that," I replied. I could come up with a dozen things Yaya would say if she knew the details, and none of them were on the supportive side.

"Besides Yaya-chan," Dia added, reading my mind.

I brooded over the thought. I guess the rest of them would probably be encouraging enough, but that didn't mean I felt comfortable sharing it with them. Talking about something I was so unsure of seemed like a recipe for trouble and that simply wasn't an issue I felt like dealing with. Plus, the more people that knew the more real it became. And the risk of the person at the root of the problem hearing about it grew substantially.

"I'm sure it'll come up eventually whether I like it or not, but I'd rather put it off while I can, I guess," I explained. Although I was growing more and more suspicious everyone already had an inkling of it to some degree. "Ugh, love is way more obnoxious than I thought it would be," I complained. Saying the word out loud still felt weird, but not necessarily wrong. I took my frustrations out on a rock and kicked it down the school sidewalk.

"What's so obnoxious?" A familiar voice startled me as I turned a corner and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I spun around and saw who I feared I would. "I-Ikuto, what are you doing here?" I asked hysterically. How did he always manage to appear at the worst possible moment?

He lithely pushed himself from the wall and strolled over to me. "I was in the area and it's been a while, so I thought I'd swing by to say hello," he said.

I clutched my racing heart, still trying to recover from his ambush. "How did you know I would be here?" I asked, feeling exceedingly self-conscious at his presence.

"Hmm, call it my cat-like instincts," he smirked. "But Tadase also mentioned he'd be seeing his friends today, so I figured I might find you here," he added.

I gave him a bewildered look. "Was Tadase at your place earlier?"

He nodded. "My parents invited his out somewhere for the day and he tagged along for a ride to your guys' school. I just put one and two together," he explained with a shrug.

"I see," they really were like a big family. I never would have imagined they were all so close, but I was happy to hear they were getting along just fine.

Ikuto started walking and I followed after him out of habit. "Have you been spending a lot of time with his family?" I asked.

"More or less. It's mostly my parents and his planning things together," he explained. "Tadase and I just keep getting dragged into the mix," he said with a slight smile.

"You sound like you're enjoying being dragged into them, though," I looked at him with a quizzical grin. He couldn't hide behind his aloof persona around me.

He met my gaze and chuckled at my expression but didn't answer the question. "So, what were you talking about that was so obnoxious?" He brought back his previous comment to steer things in a different direction.

I crossed my arms and averted my gaze. "Nothing important," I lied. It was very important.

"Oh, is that so," he remarked, clearly seeing through my weak attempt of deceit.

"It is," I argued. I heard my charas giggling behind me and I wanted to strangle them.

"Doesn't seem like it," he pried, and I could feel his eyes on me. "You only ever get worked up over important things," he pointed out.

I could feel my cheeks flushing. "Why do you care so much!" I demanded, my defensive talk only making matters worse. I tried to stay a few steps ahead of him so I didn't have to face him, but it was difficult to stay ahead of his stride.

He let out a laugh and I turned to see him shaking his head. "Calm down, I'm only messing with you," he said with a grin.

I looked away from him. "Hmph," was all I could come up with. He always got me so agitated and then backtracked just to drive me crazy.

"So, what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?" He asked, taking the conversation down yet another road.

I loosened up a bit since he seemed to have let go of the previous topic for the time being. "Nothing in particular," I told him. I didn't really want to go into the boring details that had been my life this last week.

"Ah I see," he said. "Then you've just spent the whole time at home?" He guessed.

When you said it out loud it sounded kinda lame. "So what? I've been enjoying being able to relax while I can," I explained. Truth be told I hadn't even noticed all that time had passed, but he didn't need to know that.

"You're gonna get fat if you sit around doing nothing all day," he said and I found myself returning to my defensive mode.

"I'm not _that_ lazy," I snapped back. "I didn't have much else to do," I told him. I couldn't even have a moment of peace. I wondered if we'd ever have a single serious conversation.

"If you were bored you could have asked me to go do something," he said, and I was surprised to hear him say that.

"Haven't you been busy spending time with your dad though?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't have any free," he said.

"Oh," I replied. I figured he'd been so absorbed in family time that he didn't really have the opportunity for other stuff lately. Even if I had known that a week ago I doubt I would have had the courage to call him up, but it was comforting to know he was willing to make time for me if I wanted.

"Ne, Amu-chan," Suu unexpectedly whispered to my left. "You should invite Ikuto-kun to the beach with us," she suggested.

"Huh?" I replied. I saw Ikuto shoot me a puzzled look.

"It'd be fun to have everyone together, don't you think?" She clarified. I pondered that for a moment. I supposed it would be interesting to see him in a setting like that. Maybe he'd even enjoy himself.

"Am I missing something important?" I heard Ikuto ask way too closely to my right and I jumped away, which coaxed another laugh out of him.

I glared at him, flustered again. Would that be a weird thing to ask? I couldn't imagine he was much of a water person, but it could make the day more exciting.

"Are you gonna stare at me all day or is something on your mind?" Ikuto said, breaking up my thoughts.

I blinked a few times, not entirely sure how to ask him. "Um, what are your thoughts on the beach?" I started. I wanted to make sure he was even remotely interested before inviting him.

He gave me an inquisitive look. "Why? Are you trying to ask me out on a date? Because to be honest I generally prefer dryer places," he replied with an honest tone.

I sighed. Nothing could be painless with him. "No, stupid. The guardian squad six and I are going on Saturday and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come, too," I explained as steadily as I could. I couldn't keep letting him get under my skin like that.

"That's so not a cute way to ask someone out, Amu," he said. I knew he was just trying to agitate me more, but it was working.

"I'm not trying to be cute!" I said angrily. At least we were almost back at my house and I'd be free of his harassment for a few days. "It's just an invitation; you're free to accept or decline or whatever you want to do," I added, folding my arms in front of me.

"You're so cold, Amu-chan," Miki muttered by my ear and I made a swipe at her but she dodged it with ease.

"Even your characters agree with me," Ikuto noted and I wanted to melt into the sidewalk. I couldn't defend myself from every angle and decided remaining silent was better than getting mixed up in that conversation.

We approached the front of my house and came to a stop. I sighed and looked up at him. "So, will you come then?" I asked, clutching my hands together in front of me. He hadn't given a definite answer, but I tried to be optimistic. I wanted him to come.

"Hmm," he started, rubbing his chin. I was sure his pause was intentional for the added suspense. "I suppose I could bear the sun for a few hours if it means I get to see you," he answered.

I felt my face flush at his words. Not because he was teasing me, but because I could tell he was being serious. My expression must have been amusing because it earned another laugh from him and I clenched my fists, "Why do you always do that!" I said with frustration. I couldn't keep up with him.

My reaction just made him laugh harder. "I can't help it, you're too cute," he covered half his face with his hand and I felt my cheeks burn more.

"Ugh, get out of here!" I stomped my foot, not making any effort to hide my childish behaviors. He couldn't throw those sorts of things at me out of nowhere and expect me to not react, though I was certain he was completely aware of that.

He wiped a tear from his eye and then looked at me, still grinning. "What, not even a thank you for walking you home?" He asked.

I scowled at him. I wanted to tell him I never asked him to do that so he would leave, but being so hostile was getting exhausting. I crossed my arms. "Thank you," I muttered.

He shook his head in response. "I'll see you in a few days," he said with a wave before continuing down the sidewalk. I watched him go for a few moments before heading inside. I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I kept getting caught up in these situations.

I was still brooding over Ikuto when I walked through the door and I was surprised when I found my mother waiting attentively near the window.

"Mom? What are you doing?" I asked as I entered.

"Was that Ikuto-kun I spotted walking with you?" She asked with a curious expression.

 _Had she been watching the whole time?_ I was caught off guard. "Um, yeah, I ran into him on my way back and he decided to walk me home," I explained.

She clasped her hands together. "That was nice of him," she said. I nodded, wondering if her newfound interest came from our conversation from a little while ago.

"Amu-chan, who is Ikuto- _kun_ ," my dad asked from the couch. The emphasis he put on the -kun worried me. I looked over and saw him sulking into the cushions. I guess that thought of my hanging out with a guy I was so familiar with was not the ideal.

"He's one of Amu-chan's friends! They go to school together," my mom answered before I could. She gave me a wink, clearly trying to protect me from one of his over-protective dad incursions. I could have cried. My mom was the only person who was always on my side.

"How was hanging out with your friends, Amu? You weren't there for very long," she asked after getting my dad off my trail.

I took my shoes off and set some of my stuff down. "Yeah, we decided it was too warm to hang out at school so we made plans to go to the beach on Saturday instead," I told her.

"That'll be wonderful, the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend," she said. "Will it just be you and your school friends? Or will you be inviting Ikuto and Utau, too?" She asked, and I hoped my dad wouldn't notice how she separated the two of them from the rest.

"Um, yeah, I think so," I said. I figured Kukai would invite Utau.

"That's great, I'm sure you will all have a fun day," she replied and I nodded. I spotted my dad still brooding on the couch and decided it would be best to keep away from him for a bit.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," I said to me mom before heading upstairs.

I exhaled and collapsed onto my bed. It was way too hot to be this worked up. I looked at my ceiling. Everything seemed like it was happening so quickly, I felt like I was barely keeping up with it. And Ikuto… Always going back and forth between teasing me and being serious, it was draining. "And so annoying," I muttered. My emotions were on the fritz.

"What annoying, Amu-chan?" Ran asked as she sat in front of the small fan I had on my desk.

"Who do you think?" I asked.

Miki took a seat near my head. "I don't know, it seems like you kind of like it when he teases you," she said nonchalantly. I grabbed the closest pillow and tried to squish her with it.

"As if," I told her, now sitting up and waiting for my next moment to strike

"Miki is right, you always seem so happy after talking to Ikuto-kun," Suu said and I was prepared to go after her, too.

"Shut up!" I snapped at her. They were so on my case about this today, even if they were right.

"There's nothing wrong with being happy about spending time with someone you like, Amu-chan," Dia reminded me.

I grumbled at her a bit, still embarrassed at myself. "I guess," I reluctantly agreed. But I couldn't keep myself from smiling. I wonder how the day would go, all my friends… and Ikuto. I could hear the gears turning in my head. The realization hit me and my expression dropped.

"What's wrong Amu-chan?" Ran asked, concerned by the sudden change.

I grabbed the ends of my hair in distress. "What's gonna happen when the friends who wouldn't stop prying about my issues are _around_ my issue?" I despaired. The thought of word slipping to him was unbearable. As far as I knew, only Nagi and Tadase were completely aware of the situation, and I didn't think they'd deliberately throw me under the bus like that. But if one of them stumbled and said something even remotely relating to it, or if Yaya tries to interrogate me again...

"I'll just die," I sunk into my bed, now filled with anxiety over the day I had just been so excited about.

* * *

If you guys visit my deviant art misanthropehalf (sorry it won't let me insert a link) you'll see an exciting surprise! I'm not an artist but I thought it was fun hehe

I really struggled with this chapter tbh. Writing the guardians is not as easy as I thought it would be. Writing Amu/Ikuto comes so naturally to me now, but the others… Not so much so thank you for understanding if they come off as a little typical or out of character.

Also fun fact: originally I just planned on having Amu walk home and texting Ikuto about the beach later buuut I figured he hadn't been in the last chapter either and I think I like how this version turned out more so no regrets =3= but sorry for abusing the "Ikuto showing up out of nowhere at the perfect time" trope, it's just such a good one hehe

Also sorry about abusing the ellipsis…

Next time: The beach!


	5. Chapter 5

I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE RIP I was super excited when I drafted this chapter but then the words just wouldn't flow idk what happened :/ I really tried my best to make it authentic and I hope that effort comes across. Thank you for your patience and for reading! 3

* * *

Saturday came in no time at all, which was a good and a bad thing. I was excited to spend the day with all of my friends outside of school, but there was an ominous cloud looming over my head that had blue hair and wore too much black. Scenarios were playing through my head nonstop as I considered the dozens of ways the day could go awry. I pictured Nagi asking if I had told the person I liked how I felt about him, while that person was sitting two feet away from me. I imagined Tadase asking me if we had gone out on any dates together or Yaya mentioning my freak out at the Royal Garden a few days ago at the mere mention of his name. I didn't think any of them would actually do anything like that, and in truth I was probably more of a danger to myself than any of them were, but I had to anticipate the worst to be prepared for it.

I was sitting on my bed already dressed in my swimsuit, a modest two-piece with a black plaid top that fell around my midriff and black shorts to match, but I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. "What if I just didn't show up?" I muttered, but my characters all shook their heads at me.

"Rima-chan is already on her way, and your bag is packed and ready to go," Suu said, and I knew she was right, but I couldn't help but muse over the idea.

"The window to bail shut long again," Miki pointed out.

"I guess," I said with defeat. I forced myself out of my room, trying to focus on the fun the day would bring rather than the inevitable chaos that was sure to come with it, but it was hard to feign excitement when I had so many things to worry about.

I got downstairs and my mom was packing a cooler for me and my friends. She made a face when she saw me. "You don't look very excited," she said, shutting the top of the container.

I straightened up a bit. "I am, I'm just still waking up is all," I gave her a poor excuse, but she didn't pry.

A few honks came from the street outside our house. "Oh, Rima must be here," my mom said. I went to grab the cooler off the counter and I nearly dropped it on the floor.

"Mama, what did you put in here?" I ask incredulously. It felt like it was filled with weights.

She laughed. "Just some drinks and snacks," she explained. I opened it up and it was packed full enough to feed us for a week. I gawked at her. "Well, you said there would be about eight of you so I wanted to make sure I packed enough for everyone," she added. "Although I may have gone a tiny bit overboard."

I was going to tell her we had to unpack some but another honk interrupted my thoughts. "Agh, it's fine, can you help me carry it out?" I asked. She nodded and the two of us struggled to lug it along with the rest of my stuff to the car. All four of my characters decided to use the cooler as their ride and made it substantially heavier.

"Did it feel like the chest got heavier all of the sudden?" My mom asked as we walked out the door. I glared at the little demons as they giggled.

"Hello, Mrs. Mashiro, thank you for offering to take Amu to the beach with your daughter," my mom thanked as she strained set the container down on the passenger seat. Ran and the others flew inside the open door and I saw them greet Kusukusu. I waved at Rima through the window.

"Not a problem, it was nice of Amu and her friends to wait until Rima returned to plan the day out," Rima's mom said.

My mom waved to me as I climbed into the backseat of the car. "Have fun, Amu-chan. Take lots of pictures for Papa and me!" She said. I told her I would and said goodbye, then we were off.

I set my bags on the floor of the car. "Hi, Rima," I smiled at her. Her blonde curls were in high pigtails and she was wearing a white one piece swimsuit with a fastened skirt. "How was your vacation?" I asked.

"It was good," she said, wearing a small smile as she spoke. She peered towards her mom and then leaned in close to me. "My mom and dad only argued once the whole time, and even though they did, they stopped when I asked them to," she told me. I pulled back and her smile was wider. "So we had a lot of fun," she said, and then she giggled. "I even got them to go to a comedy show with me at the hotel, and they both really liked it."

I beamed at her. "That's great to hear," I said. It made me happy to see her looking so cheerful, she was always cuter when she smiled.

"Did I miss anything while I was away?" She asked innocently.

"Not really," I tried to say as nonchalantly as possible, which probably wasn't the best route to take. I hadn't seen Rima since the wedding, so she was more out of the loop than anyone. I was sure she could tell I was keeping something from her.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Nothing at all?" She pried, staring me down.

I laughed nervously. As a friend, I felt compelled to tell her what was happening with my life, but I wasn't sure how my odds would fair if another person in the group knew my situation. "It's nothing, honestly," I attempted to steer her away, knowing it would only drive her closer.

"Did something happen between you and Ikuto?" She asked, hitting the mark.

I flinched. "How could you tell?" I stuttered, not bothering to shoot down her accusation.

She smirked. "You tend to have that apprehensive expression whenever you talk about him," Rima pointed out.

My cheeks reddened at her comment "I do not!" I said defensively.

Rima looked at me skeptically. I pursed my lips for a moment but then sighed. There was no way I'd be able to get her off my back now, so I figured I might as well tell her.

"Some stuff happened, but not really. I don't know. I'm not sure how to explain it," I rambled. She was staring at me expectantly and I wasn't going to try to ignore that look for another thirty minutes. I relayed the events of the last week or so regarding Tadase's confession, Ikuto's nerve wracking inquiry regarding my feelings, and talking with my mom.

"I also discussed it with Nagi, and he gave me some good advice. But in the end, I couldn't follow through with it," I exhaled, leaning back into my seat.

"What did he say?" Rima asked.

"Well I asked him what he knew about love, and if he had ever loved someone before," I began to explain.

"Did he say he did?" Rima asked just a little too quickly.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Why do you care?" I challenged. I wondered if I was on my way to discovering something myself.

"No good reason, I was just curious," she said, suddenly uninterested.

I scrutinized her. "Well, I guess if you don't care to know it's fine," I said in an attempt to bait her. There was a trace of uneasiness in her face, but she was pretty much an expert at hiding her true feelings, almost on par with me, in fact. Even so, I decided to tell her the rest at the expense of her sanity. "He just mentioned he might be fond of someone, but he didn't give any specific names or anything," I told her.

"That's nice," Rima said apathetically, now invested in something on her phone. She was a good actor but I was fairly certain she was hiding something. I giggled but I didn't push her.

We spent the rest of the lengthy drive in friendly conversations and comfortable silences. I'm not sure why, but for some reason knowing that I may not be the only one dealing with these issues made me feel a little less nervous.

"Wow, look at all the water," Kusukusu had her face pressed up to the window and the other four joined her.

"It's so blue," Miki said with admiration.

"You act like you've never been to the beach before," I said, collecting my stuff together.

"Yeah, but it never stops being such a wonderful sight," Suu replied. I looked out the window, and I guess they had a point.

Rima's mom dropped us off at the sidewalk once we spotted some of our group. "Rima, I'll come pick you both up at five, okay?" Her mother said, helping us lift the cooler from the car. We set it down on the curb with a loud thud. "Can you two manage to carry this by yourselves?" She asked, a little winded herself.

"I think it will be fine with the two of us" I said, although I wasn't looking forward to dragging it all the way down the beach. And I think both of us were a little doubtful of Rima's strength, but I told her it was alright for her to take off and so she left, promising to be there at five o'clock sharp. We waved at her as she drove away and then I went to pick up the chest. I could hardly lift up one side.

"Guys, could you give me a hand?" I ask my charas. When they didn't respond I looked around and saw the four of them and Kusukusu had already flown off to greet their friends down the shore. Yaya and Kukai were chasing each other across the sand and hadn't seen us yet. Tadase and Nagihiko were still setting up the umbrellas, but stopped to wave a us. I waved back enthusiastically, still holding on to one side of the cooler. I felt Rima cling to the edge of my top. I looked down and saw her peering at the two of them.

"What are you hiding for?" I tried to step away but she just followed me. I assumed her gaze was directed at Nagi since he looked a little confused. I place my hands on Rima's shoulders and gently pusher her away. "Stop being weird and help me carry the chest over," I told her. She looked at me and then at the chest and then back at me.

"I can't, it's too heavy," she replied.

"You haven't even tried lifting it," I argued, but I was fairly certain she was right since it was probably half her weight.

She glowered for a moment and then grabbed one side of the chest delicately. I tightened my grip on the other end and we struggled just to make it a few feet to the sand. Once we reached it Rima dropped the handle.

"Come on, we've barely taken a few steps," I complained.

"But I'm tired," she said.

I placed a hand on my hip. She was great at being helpless when it benefitted her.

While we were standing there in a stalemate another car pulled into the parking lot. We both watched the vehicle and saw Ikuto, Utau, and Kairi emerge from it. All three of them were wearing stylish shades that almost made Kairi look cool. Utau was wearing a fashionable purple one piece with cutouts in the sides, Kairi was dressed in trunks and a swim tee, something only he would wear, and Ikuto was wearing nothing but knee-length shorts. I'd never seen him wear so little clothes and I quickly averted my eyes. That aside, I remembered how our previous interaction had gone which only made matters worse. I hoped I could blame my pink cheeks on a sunburn.

I saw Rima staring at me suspiciously. "What?" I snapped at her.

She let out a small laugh. "It's nothing," she said, and she began to stroll towards the umbrellas.

It took me a moment to register that she was abandoning me. "Where are you going? What about the cooler?" I asked desperately.

"He can help," she said without turning around. I stomped my foot, fuming.

"Hello, Hinamori-san, how are you?" Kairi said as he came up on my right. He was carrying a small cooler of his own.

I sighed, shaking my head at Rima's distant figure. "The usual. You?" I asked.

"I'm doing well, I'm enjoying being able to relax a little," he said, which seemed a little out of character for him.

"You? Relax?" I said in disbelief.

He laughed at my remark. "Yaya-senpai has made it clear to me that there won't be any Guardian talk until one month before school starts," he explained, shaking his head as he seemed to recall the conversation.

"Jeez, what is she holding over your head," I teased.

He furrowed his brow, clearly I had guessed somewhere in the ball park. "Something like that," he admitted, but shook the thought from his mind. "I'm sorry I can't help you with that, I can go set this down and come back if you want," he said, changing the topic.

I glanced at Ikuto and Utau who were walking this way. Ikuto was coincidentally empty handed, so I imagined he was coming to my rescue. "That's alright, I think Ikuto is on his way over," I said. Kairi acknowledged me and then continued towards the others.

I let out a long sigh. It was just a day at the beach and I couldn't let myself get all worked up. I wanted to make that my goal; have fun, not a heart attack.

"Need a hand?" Ikuto's voice rang as he came up beside me. I paused to collect myself before turning to face him.

"Only because my friend abandoned me," I said, not willing to ask for help outright.

"I would never," he said, matching my tone. They were serious words with a playful inflection, but I managed to keep my cool.

He began to reach for the handle that I was still holding on to and I dropped it right before he touched it.

He gave me a peculiar look. "I thought you wanted help?" He asked, reaching for the cooler again and picking it up with hardly any effort.

I blinked a few times. "I thought," I stuttered. I had thought it was going to be a team effort, so when he started reaching for the spot where my hand was I was surprised. He just shook his head at me and walked towards the others with the chest in his arms. I slumped a bit as I watched him stroll away. As I suspected, I was better at getting myself into these situations than any one of my friends were.

"Really, Amu, would it kill you to keep your head on straight for once," Utau commented as she walked up to my right.

Easier said than done. "What if I told you that was me trying to keep my head on straight?" I indulged her.

She laughed. "Then I'm sure this will be an interesting day."

"What would I do without your support," I said sarcastically. I just needed to keep my heart rate down for a few hours, that shouldn't be as hard as it seemed. I didn't have the energy to be getting flustered at every look and remark, but I also didn't want my apprehension to get in the way of what was supposed to be a fun day out with my friends.

She smirked. "Come on, if we stand around here too long they'll think we are telling secrets," she said, making her way towards the group. I followed closely behind her.

"Amu-chi~ your swimsuit is the perfect combination of cute and punk," Yaya greeted with a thumbs up.

I blushed at her compliment "You think so?" I asked, looking down at my suit as if I wasn't sure what it looked like.

"It's very fitting for you, Amu," Nagi chimed in. I looked his way. He was wearing grey trunks that complimented his hair.

I smiled at him. I hadn't been to the beach with Nagi since before he was still presenting as a girl. I poked his bare chest lightly. "You'll actually be able to go swimming with us this time," I teased. He looked perplexed for a moment, but then it dawned on him.

"Oh, that's right, last time we all went to the beach I was still Nadeshiko," he laughed.

I laughed with him, but was drawn from the conversation when I felt Rima clinging onto my wrist. I gave her a dirty look. "I see you've returned," I said shrewdly, still bitter over her previous desertion. She didn't say anything but I saw her peering in Nagi's direction.

He smiled at her, clearly trying to counteract her adverse demeanor. "Your swimsuit looks cute, too, Rima-chan," Nagi said. Rima responded by hiding further behind me and I was starting to lose my balance.

"Rima, stop acting weird," I twisted around in an attempt to get away from her, but her grip was iron clad despite her tiny hands. "Come on, I'm gonna fall over," I warned. The words hardly left my mouth when I caught my foot on the ankle opposite to it. As I braced to land in a crumpled mess in the sand, I felt two hands catch me at my shoulders right as I began to go down. Once the initial shock of nearly falling passed, I looked behind me to see who it was.

"Tadase-kun," I said, surprised. It was a strange feeling to be in that position. It brought me back to the days when a moment like that would have made my heart leap from my chest with joy. Now the action hardly brought a splash of color to my face. I shifted from his hold, straightening my top. "Thank you," I said.

He smiled. "How are you, Amu-chan?" He asked, as if they had done no more than a friendly hug.

"I was good, until this one tried to send me to my death," I said, glaring at Rima. "What was that all about?" I asked her.

She turned away dramatically. "Nothing," she chirped and began walking towards the water to join some of the others. I raised an eyebrow at her back but decided I'd investigate another time.

I looked back to Tadase. "Thanks for getting here early to set up the umbrellas and everything," I said to him.

He nodded. "Of course. Kukai and I figured it'd be too chaotic to try and get it done while everyone was here," he explained, and judging by the way Kairi, Yaya, and Kukai were going after each other in the water, or rather, Kukai and Yaya going after Kairi, it seemed like it had been a good call. "Thank you for bringing enough drinks and snacks for everyone," he added, gesturing to the cooler near the base of the umbrella.

How Ikuto had carried it over here with such ease was beyond me. "My mom may have gone a bit overboard, but at least we won't go hungry," I laughed. I glanced passed the chest and at Ikuto. He was looking curiously in my direction and I wondered if there was a part of him that was jealous of me talking with Tadase. I couldn't see why he'd have a reason too after Tadase had made it fairly clear things between us were explicitly platonic, but I knew more than anyone that love was a finicky thing.

"Tadase! A little help," I heard Kukai call from the water. We both turned and saw he was being climbed like a tree by Yaya while Kairi was catching his breath. Nagi was floating a few feet away from them. He was laughing and obviously had no intention of helping.

"You better go rescue Kukai before Yaya drowns him," I said with a smile.

"Will you be joining us soon?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just need to set my stuff down," I explained, pointing to the bag I had strung around my shoulder.

"Alright, try to hurry up though. Taking down Yaya is a two-person job," he explained and ran off to Kukai's aid. I shook my head. Maybe today would be fun after all.

I walked over to the pile of bags and clothes that had gathered under one of the umbrella and set my purse down. I saw Ikuto was staring out at the water, watching the six of them cavort about the waves.

"Where'd Utau go?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

He gestured to the parking lot. "She had to grab some stuff from the car," he said.

"I see," I replied. I was getting ready to ask him if he was coming in the water when he spoke first.

"After all this time, you are still the best person I know at tripping over their own feet," he said, referring to my earlier stumble.

He didn't say it in his usual mocking tone, so I assumed the interaction had bothered him. "What are you, jealous?" I joked. It seemed like a lighthearted enough comment, but he kept his eyes forward. I was surprised at his reaction, I didn't think he still worried about stuff like that. I swallowed, shifting on my feet. "Well, you can't come to my rescue every time I stumble over nothing," I tried another route in an attempt to turn the conversation around.

I saw his chest bounce a bit at that, which brought me some relief. "Ah, I can't help it," he said, stretching his arms upwards and then placing them on the ground beside him, propping himself up against them. "I always want to be there for you, I don't like to think about what could happen if I'm not," he confessed. I blushed at his remark. His tone was far too serious for a sunny day at the beach and it made me wonder if something was on his mind.

I folded my arms. "Well, that's just silly," I said, trying to reassure him in a vague a way as possible. He broke his gaze from the water and looked at me. "Anyways, lighten up, the beach is no place for brooding," I told him.

He smiled and closed his eyes. "You're right," he admitted, lying down so that the umbrella was shading his eyes.

"Or napping," I added in response to his actions.

"I don't swim, what else do you suggest I do?" He gave me a quizzical look.

"Not sleep?" I argued.

He just smiled again, getting comfortable. "I'll be here if you need me."

I huffed at him. I saw Utau walking back over to us. "Can you tell your brother that the beach is no place for sleeping?" I asked her. I noticed she was carrying a large stack of magazines under her arm. She dropped them in the sand next to a fold out chair that she sat herself in.

"That's would be a bit hypocritical of me, don't you think?" She asked, picking up one of the glossy booklets and slipping it open.

"You too?" I asked, annoyed by both of their behaviors.

"What? Salt water isn't good for my hair," she said, looking up at me through her shades.

"Ugh," I groaned. What a couple of delicate flowers.

"Hinamori-san, come on!" Kukai hollered from the water. I turned and waved to him, signaling I'd be over in a moment.

"You guys are gonna miss out on all the fun," I feebly tried to tempt them. Neither of them acknowledged me, so I gave up and made my way towards the water.

Kukai gave me a puzzled look when I reached them. "What are those two doing?" He asked.

I sighed as I waded through the current. "One is napping and the other is catching up on the latest fashion trends," I said, assuming there was no need for clarification as to which was doing which.

Kukai wrinkled his brow and turned to the shore. "Oi, Utau, come join us!" He shouted with a wave, as if he could somehow convince her where I could not.

Utau moved the magazine down to look at him. "No," she answered flatly.

Kukai's shoulders dropped like a dejected puppy. "Why not?"

"Because I said so," she explained.

"That's not a good reason!" Kukai replied.

"Yeah, stop being so stuck up," I joined in. Utau was probably glaring at me through her glasses. After a moment, she shoved her nose back into her magazine, tuning us out.

"Jeez, she needs to loosen up. A little swimming would do her some good," I complained.

Kukai placed his hands on his sides, wearing a look of determination. "You're absolutely right, Hinamori," he said deviously. "Maybe she just needs a little push."

I cocked my head at his remark, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he walked back onto the shore and towards where Utau was sitting. I couldn't make out what either of them were saying, but they shared a brief exchange before a cautionary expression spread across Utau's face. Whatever Kukai had said also got Ikuto's attention, and he was sitting up looking at the two of them.

As I wondered what was unfolding, I watched in astonishment as Kukai bent over and scooped Utau up in his arms. She shrieked and everyone had their eyes on the two of them as Kukai held her bridal style while jogging back to the ocean. It was hard not to laugh at her misery, even Ikuto was grinning from dry land at her suffering.

Her screams got more desperate once they hit the water and they only stopped when Kukai dunked her underneath the surface with him. I covered my mouth and gasped. She was going to unleash an endless stream of wrath upon him once she emerged.

She broke the surface with a deep gasp. Kukai followed shortly after, shaking his hair around with a laugh. Utau rubbed the water from her eyes, and I couldn't tell if she was glaring because of the saltwater or anger, but either way, she looked ready for bloodshed and I was glad I wasn't the closest person to her. I wouldn't want to be Kukai right about now, but he showed no signs of fear. Everyone had stopped what they were doing, waiting to see what she'd do. Even the waves seemed to have stilled in anticipation.

"You idiot!" She shouted. "You think this is funny?" She demanded, fuming.

Kukai just laughed, answering her question. "A little, yeah," he confessed.

"Jerk!" She raised her voice again, going to hit him hard in the chest, but he grabbed her around the shoulders and wrapped her in a wet hug, laughing all the while. He really was oblivious to negative energy sometimes, or maybe he was just that adept at erasing it. He released her from his arms and I waited for Utau to go at him again, but she just pouted an accepted her fate. Kukai was probably the only person who could have done something like that and come out of it alive.

Even if she was tolerating it, she didn't look pleased about it. "If I'm being forced to come in then somebody better drag him in, too," Utau said angrily, pointing at Ikuto who was still smirking on the shore.

There was a brief silence while we all mulled the idea over.

"No one here is big enough to pick him up," Kairi pointed out. "Although, perhaps if Nagi and Kukai team together, their combined efforts may prove to be enough to take him down," he said as though he was forming a testable hypothesis.

I saw Yaya stroking her chin. "Amu could probably persuade him to come in," she commented in a muffled voice, but still loud enough for me to hear. I sent a wave of water in her direction and it struck her in the face. I smiled at my direct hit as she choked on water and her words.

While she was recovering, I turned my attention back to Ikuto who had heard Utau's remark according to his amused look. It said, 'I'd like to see you try' and I was almost tempted to test it, but I couldn't foresee it ending in my favor.

"Kairi has a point," Kukai said, his commanding voice capturing our attention. "While we don't stand a chance going at him individually, if we make it a team effort he'll go down easy," he said with the confidence of someone who had likely done something similar to this many times. He raised his fist towards the sky like he was preparing to lead us into battle. "Guardians, past and present, we must assemble together for a new mission: bring Ikuto into the water!" He declared dramatically. "Using any means necessary," he added, a star clip appearing in his hair as he spoke.

I could hardly believe what I was seeing, and from Ikuto's widening grin, neither could he. I looked around and saw Yaya and Tadase sharing Kukai's look of resolve. Nagi looked a bit amused but just as determined, Kairi appeared relieved that for once he was not the victim of Kukai's endless energy, and Rima looked like she was trying to remain indifferent, but I could see the corner of her lip turning up in interest.

I turned back to Ikuto and he didn't appear concerned at all. He was sitting up now and in fact, he looked entertained. "This ought to be fun," he taunted playfully, and I gave him a warning look. He was underestimating them, Ikuto couldn't even do a character change anymore, and I think that was something he forgot to consider. He had no advantage over them except for his natural agility and arguably his height, but even those could only hold out for so long.

"It's on!" Kukai said, signaling it was go time. Tadase, Yaya, and Kairi changed with their characters without a word. I saw Nagi and Temari share a look, and I was sure she had tempted him with the prospect of a challenge. He was getting ready to take off, but hesitated to try and convince Rima to join their cause.

"Come on, Rima-chan, we need everyone to help," he explained. I was fairly certain they could take him out even if Rima stood down, but that wasn't relevant.

"I'm not interested in getting involved," she claimed, although I suspected otherwise.

Nagi pondered that for a moment. "Really?" He asked her. "Because I think it could be funny to see a person like Ikuto get taken down by a bunch of kids," he said, attempting to entice her with the promise of a humorous showdown. Her eyebrow twitched and I saw her face marks appear despite how hard she had been fighting it, and I knew she had been persuaded.

Kukai turned towards me next. "Are you ready to go, Hinamori?" He asked, like I was hoping he wouldn't. As much as I wanted to see Ikuto look like a miserable cat in a bath tub, I didn't want to be targeted by him for it later on.

"I think I'll watch from over here," I said weakly.

"Eh, what for?" He slumped, obviously expecting more out of me.

"I'm sure you guys can handle him, and someone needs to watch from behind the scenes to make sure nobody gets hurt, right?" I tried to give him a believable excuse.

He shook his head. "You're too easy on him," he reprimanded, and before I could reply he turned to Utau. "Are you coming?" He asked.

"Absolutely not," she replied without missing a beat, and she didn't have to provide any further justification.

Kukai sighed, but he quickly bounced back from the rejection. "We'll just have to make do without them," he announced to the rest, seemingly undeterred. "Let's go!" He said with a fiery spirit, and the six of them made their way towards the shore with haste. Ikuto looked indifferent as they approached and remained unmoved from his spot until the last second, when Kukai attempted to make the first point of contact. He failed when Ikuto nimbly thrust himself out of his reach. And so, the battle began.

I watched in amazement as they all went after Ikuto from every angle and I was impressed that he was able to dodge them with ease. Despite not having Yoru at his side, he was just as agile as ever. He managed to avoid being touched by anyone for the first minute of the skirmish by darting unpredictably in any given direction. Not even during our battles with Easter did I see him fight this hard.

He held his own for about two or three minutes before the strain started to show on his face. He made contact with Kukai twice, Tadase once, and Nagi nearly thrust him into the water with brute force when he charged him, but Ikuto found a way to jump from his path. While I winced every time someone got near him, I couldn't help but laugh. Seeing both siblings brought down to our level was my favorite new form of entertainment.

"Jeez, you guys really are relentless," he shouted, breathless, as he avoided another barrage. He looked like he was about ready to give in, and I almost felt bad for him. That didn't stop me from laughing at his misfortune. As Ikuto went to elude another swipe from Tadase, he took a misstep in the sand and skillfully wiped out. I cringed when he hit the sand, but I was sure he was fine. I was more concerned about the six wild-eyed pursuants now surrounding him.

He sighed, collapsing into the sand. "I can't believe I got defeated by a bunch of elementary school kids," he remarked, looking like he had resigned to his fate. "Again," he added, a light-hearted joke about darker days.

"Never underestimate the power of kids when they band together!" Yaya chimed.

Kukai stood triumphantly over Ikuto. "Now, would you prefer to go in of your own accord, or shall we drag you in kicking and screaming like Utau?" He inquired mercifully. Utau crossed her arms at his words, undoubtedly still bitter. Although I didn't think he'd ever allow it, I was amused at the thought of Ikuto being dragged into the water in such a way.

He sat up on his elbows and shot me a suspicious look. "Sure, I'll go in myself," he said, and I glared at the wicked smirk he wore. "If Amu asks me to come in nicely," he said.

My scowl intensified. "No way, the loser doesn't get to negotiate terms," I said from the water.

Kukai looked at me. "Just because he lost doesn't mean we can't be civil," he explained. Kukai went from competitive leader to peaceful moderator just like that.

I huffed, irritated but not desiring an altercation. "Whatever, I already asked him to come in earlier," I reminded them.

"But did you ask _nicely_?" Ikuto challenged.

I pursed my lips. I didn't want to give into him, but I didn't want to draw this out for longer than necessary, either. I crossed my arms. "Please come join us in the water," I muttered.

"What was that?" Ikuto cupped his ear, as if he didn't have the best hearing among us.

I firmly placed my arms at my sides, clenching my fists. "Please come play with us, idiot!" I shouted, annoyed at his jeer.

He chuckled at my response, but stood, shaking his head all the while. "I suppose that's the best I'll get from you," he commented, weaving in between Yaya and Rima and making his way towards the edge of the water. Even with my irritation, I kept my eyes on him. Part of me was expecting him to run away just to avoid getting wet. But he reached the shoreline and took a few steps in while we all watched with anticipation. Then, without any sign of hesitation, he dove into the shallow water. I was surprised he actually went through with it. I watched the blur of his body drift swiftly past me and resurface a few yards away.

He shook his head to remove the excess water from his hair. "Truthfully, I actually don't mind the water," he confessed, hitting the side of his head to get liquid out of his ear. "I just think it's funny to see you guys running around like that," he smirked, pushing wet strands of his hair from his face.

I sighed at him. "Jeez, just when I thought you couldn't be more obnoxious," I said, trying to ignore how different he looked with his hair slicked back.

Ikuto just smirked. "You invited me," he reminded.

"I know," I replied, ready to move on from this dispute.

"Alright! Now that everyone is in the water, the real fun can begin," Kukai announced promptly and we all turned our attention to him to see what he had to say. "Now, call me a sucker for the classics, but it wouldn't be a day at the beach without at least a few rounds of marco polo," he explained, and I was relieved yet suspicious that it wasn't something more intense.

"Isn't that game for kids?" I heard Rima comment quietly.

"Yep! Which is why it's perfect for us," Kukai replied, claiming his childish title proudly.

No one seemed to oppose the idea. "Well, how do we decide who's going to be it first?" I asked.

He laughed, as if it was obvious. "Easy," he started, turning towards Ikuto. "Ikuto, since you were the last person to come into the water, you get to be it," he explained.

He raised an eyebrow at Kukai. "Is that how it's decided?" He chuckled, but agreed to it.

We all spread out around Ikuto in a crooked circle and prepared for the game to begin. Ikuto had his eyes closed and I smiled. Seeing him participate in a game like blinded water tag at his age was as hilarious as it was comforting. He seemed incredibly out of place, but it was nice that he was able to let go a little and be a kid every once in a while, even after everything he'd been through.

"Whenever you're ready," Kukai told Ikuto, drawing me from my thoughts.

Ikuto's expression seemed to say, 'I can't believe I got sucked into this' and it looked like he had to mentally prepare himself to begin. "Marco," he started.

The word sounded so strange coming from his mouth and a couple of us giggled before saying "Polo," in response.

He wandered around through the waves all the while exchanging the two words with the rest of the group. I couldn't keep myself from laughing as I watched him starting to get a little frustrated with his lack of finesse when it came to a child's game.

"You're going to regret laughing at me like that, Amu," Ikuto warned while moving his arms around with purpose.

It was nice to be the one grinning shrewdly for once. "Is that so?" I questioned, unafraid of his blinded threats. I was a few yards away from him so I wasn't worried about him tagging me. I knew about how far he could jump through the water, so as long as I kept a safe distance between us I would be fine. He made a lunge in my direction but fell short a few feet and I quickly swam once again out of his reach while he recovered.

I laughed more at his failure to prevail in such a simple game. "Are you sure you didn't want to come into the water because you knew you sucked at water sports?" I provoked him further. It was a rare occasion when I had the upper hand, and I was sure to bask in it for as long as I could.

He huffed with a grin. "Marco," he ignored my stab at him.

A few scattered Polos answered in response. I was the closest one to him, but the space between us was sufficient for me to not have to be concerned.

"Polo," I said confidently, anticipating his next move. He was wearing a keen expression that was unnerving since I was the one who was supposed to be playing him. He made a leap towards me and I realized too late that I was somehow still within his reach, and although I tried to dodge him, his hand just barely grazed my shoulder before I went crashing into the waves.

"Agh, how did you reach so much farther than last time?!" I complained, pushing wet clumps of hair from my face.

He was smiling triumphantly. "I was just pretending I could only go so far; I figured at least one of you would fall for it," he said, sticking his tongue out at me.

Everyone else was laughing, probably having already foreseen the outcome of that round.

"Nice try, Hinamori, but that's what you get for being overly confident. Your it next," Kukai said, like neither he or Ikuto had ever acted self-assured before.

I groaned, glaring at Ikuto for tricking me yet again. He just gave me a smug grin and I closed my eyes so I didn't have to look at it.

"Marco," I said, irked.

"Polo," nine voices taunted from all around me. I moved a bit to the left and called out to them again, but everyone still seemed an equal distance from me.

This went on for a frustratingly long time before I heard a couple of them giggling and whispering quietly. I stopped moving around. "What are you guys laughing at?" I asked. I waited, but didn't get a response from anyone that wasn't more snickering, so I continued to hopelessly hunt them down.

"Marco," I called out, growing increasingly annoyed.

"Polo," a small voice whispered from directly behind me, and if my soul hadn't nearly left my body I would have jumped straight out of the water. I spun around, hitting someone's arm in the process.

I opened my eyes, clutching my racing heart tightly. "R-Rima! Why were you so close to me?" I demanded breathlessly.

She, along with the others, were all doubled over laughing at my expense. "Amu-chan is still a scaredy cat," Nagi said from a few yards away and I imagined he was the instigator. My face reddened in embarrassment, but at least I had tagged Rima, so it wasn't a total loss.

"Whatever, you're it now, Rima," I said, hastily making my way to the outside of the circle to get everyone's eyes off of me.

She pouted, now alone in the center. "But I'm not good at sports," she said.

"That didn't seem to be a problem until you were it," I countered.

She frowned at me but closed her eyes. "Marco," she said softly.

"Polo," the rest of us said, but she didn't move.

"Marco," she repeated.

"Polo," we responded.

But she still stood in the same spot. This happened a few more times before I interrupted.

"You know, you have to move if you want to tag someone," I explained to her.

"I can't see where I'm going."

"That's the point."

She continued to stand there. "Marco," she said again.

We gave a collective groan. I was sure she would do this until someone let her tag them or the game ended. I saw Nagi shake his head before wading in her direction until he was within arm's reach.

"Polo," he said, and a sneaky smile appeared on Rima's face. She reached out and poked his chest.

"Got you," she said, opening her eyes.

"Because I let you," Nagi pointed out. Rima just shrugged and swam from of the middle of the circle to where Nagihiko had previously been.

I was sure he knew that would happen. Somewhere along the way Rima had managed to get Nagi wrapped around her finger when she wasn't busy hiding from him behind me. They really had a strange dynamic.

Nagi was actually pretty good at hunting people down and was practically dancing through the water. He eventually tagged Tadase who had an even worse time than I did. The only reason Tadase ended up getting tagged out was because Yaya got bored of watching him wander around so helplessly. Once Yaya was it, the game took an ever-sharper downward turn because all she could do was complain about how hard it was.

"This game isn't fun anymore, can't we play something else," she whined while dismally plodding through the water in no particular direction.

"We can't change the game just because you are bad it, Yaya-senpai," Kairi said, not holding back at all.

She flopped onto her back, obviously having already resigned from the game in her mind. "But it's too hard," she said again.

Kukai let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, I guess it was about time for us to move onto the next phase anyways," he said.

"Next phase?" I asked curiously.

"Yep," he started, a glint in his eyes. "Chicken fights."

I knew there had to have been something more intense coming up.

"Alright!" Yaya jumped up excitedly, as if she was somehow better at that game.

"There's the energy I like to see," Kukai said enthusiastically. "Utau, are you ready to destroy these guys–

Utau was standing next to Ikuto and was giving Kukai a sharp look that stopped him mid-sentence.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for dragging me into the water earlier," she explained.

Ikuto was giving me that same look. "And I'd be taking an oceanside nap right now if you hadn't asked me so sweetly to come in," Ikuto added. I had forgotten that the two of them made a villainous pair.

I scoffed. "You told me to ask you," I reminded him.

"Anyways," he started, not acknowledging my comment at all.

"The two of us have conspired to take you both out together," Utau finished, although I was certain they had come up with that plan only a few seconds ago.

"Conspired?" I questioned, turning to Kukai to see what his take was. He appeared perplexed, but his expression quickly changed to one of fierce ambition.

"You're on, Tsukiyomis!" Kukai asserted a moment later. "Amu, we'll have to give it 110% if we want to defeat them," he said, already accepting a new plan.

I looked over at the two siblings. Utau's desire for revenge was menacing, and Ikuto's look of vague disinterest was somehow just as intimidating. I looked back to Kukai. "Maybe we could just forfeit now and save ourselves from future humiliation," I suggested quietly so only he could hear.

"Ha! Not a chance," he shot back. Then he looked at everyone else. "All of you, find a partner. Every teams fights until there is only one pair left standing," he ordered.

I watched as Yaya swam over to Kairi, but he redirected her to Tadase, saying he wasn't good at sports. Yaya pouted but then scrambled onto Tadase's shoulders eagerly. I saw Nagi talking to Rima, and although she turned her head away from him, she didn't move completely so I assumed they were on a team. The only odd one out was Kairi.

"Oi, Kairi, why don't you climb on Amu's shoulders, we'll be undefeatable!" Kukai hollered.

Kairi reddened and declined. "I think I'll just be the scorekeeper," he said.

Kukai shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied.

And so, the chaos ensued. I watched Rima shakily climb onto Nagihiko's shoulders and I was curious to see how they would hold their ground against Yaya and Tadase, but there was no time for that. I had to stay focused on the task at hand. I climbed onto Kukai's shoulders, wobbling for a moment before I balanced myself out. I looked at Utau who was confidently perched on Ikuto's shoulder. She had nearly a head on Kukai and I, and although I wasn't super optimistic about the odds, I thought we might have a fighting chance if Kukai's ambition could overpower Ikuto's playful apathy.

"It's not too late to back down," Utau threatened as we closed the distance between each other.

"You wish," Kukai fired back.

"Hey, I'm the one who has to fight her, could you not get her so worked up?" I gently kicked him in the chest with my heel.

"Nonsense, you just have to get on her level, is all," he said once we were right in front of them.

I grumbled at him, staring the two of them down apprehensively. Utau was looking determined as ever and Ikuto was wearing a devious smirk. I frowned at him, I knew he was just trying to throw me off, and that motivated me to not back down. I wouldn't give him that kind of satisfaction.

"Alright, you guys are going down," I said, having found some purpose.

"That's what I'm talking about, Hinamori!" Kukai cheered from below.

Kairi waded over to us and declared the start of the round. Utau and I went after each other, immediately locking hands. I was taken aback by how strong she was, her slight frame misleading.

"W-why are you so strong," I struggled to say as I pushed against her.

"Maybe you're just weak," Utau grinned viciously, leaning into me more. I tried to hold out but I crumpled under her deceptive strength and fell back into the water. It was a humiliatingly short round.

When I resurfaced, she was staring down at me triumphantly. I was defeated but my competitive edge was beginning to creep in.

"Best two out of three?" Kukai suggested, obviously not wanting to stand down yet.

"I'd be happy to beat you two more times," Utau said boldly.

Kukai and I shared a look and nodded.

"I wouldn't underestimate them, Utau," Ikuto warned her, clearly tuning in on what was going through our heads.

"Ran!" I called out.

"Daichi!" Kukai said a moment after me.

The two of them flew up to us, understanding without needing to ask. We both character changed, ready to go all in this round.

"You two think you can take us out just because you character changed?" Utau said fearlessly.

"Isn't both of you changing a little unfair?" Ikuto pointed out. Utau shrugged him off and urged him forward.

Kukai and I easily took her down.

Ikuto chuckled when Utau had collected herself. "I told you not to underestimate them," he said. He was clearly only in this for the amusement factor, not the winning one.

Kukai gave me a high five, celebrating our victory.

"If that's how it's going to be," Utau said heatedly. "Il!" She called out to her devilish character and changed with her.

El followed slowly after her counterpart. "Utau-chan, I can help, too," she said passively.

"Sorry, El, but fighting isn't really your style, and this isn't a battle I can afford to lose," she explained, as if her life was on the line instead of just her pride. El frowned deeply but flew off to the sidelines with the others.

Ikuto was the only one who had to fight using his own devices. "How unfair that I'm the only one who has to rely on strength and talent alone," he moped lightly.

Utau disregarded him and positioned herself back on his shoulders. "No time for whining now, we can't lose this one," she said.

Ikuto shook his head but geared up to go. Kukai and I matched them in suit, knowing this time it would be neck and neck.

Kairi gave the signal to begin and Utau and I quickly grabbed at each other, now evenly matched.

"Give it up, Utau. We have the upper hand," I bluffed, hoping my words could help me beat her down.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she replied, pushing into me, and I felt my arms starting to give again.

"Don't give up now, Hinamori! We're so close," Kukai encouraged upon seeing me start to falter.

I groaned under the pressure, trying to hold my ground to put off what seemed like the inevitable. Why did I have to have such a big mouth. "Urgh," I muttered, losing another inch to her.

"It's over, Amu," Utau said, her grip tightening.

"Utau-chan, allow me to help!~" El appeared out of nowhere, startling both Utau and I. The shock caused Utau to release me from her clutches and her sharp movement made Ikuto stumble back.

"Stop moving around like that, Utau," Ikuto said with a strain in his voice. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her to topple over.

Luck was on our side today, and even with Ikuto trying to help her regain her balance, she fell over a moment later. How we had gone from being on the brink of losing to bringing Utau down in just a few seconds, I had no clue, but Kukai and I took it as a victory.

"We did it!" I shouted, and Kukai threw his hands up victoriously.

"Nice one, Hinamori!"

Utau surfaced from the water angrily. "That wasn't a fair win!" She shouted, and then turned to see El cowering a few feet away from her. "El," she said hotly. "You ruined my chances of winning."

El was wringing her tiny hands. "Sorry, Utau-chan. I just wanted to try and help," she said nervously.

"We were winning!" Utau snapped back and I half expected the water around her to start boiling. El continued to look down at her hands without saying anything. Utau fumed for a few seconds longer and we waited for her to go off again. I was surprised when her expression softened instead. She sighed. "Alright, alright. No need for such a somber expression, it was just a game," she said, gently patting El on the head. I was shocked to see Utau acting so coolly after something like that.

Ikuto shared a similar expression. "Wow, when did you become so level headed?" he commented.

Utau reddened slightly. "Well, I'm not going to yell at someone who is on the verge of tears," she said defensively.

Ikuto chuckled, patting her head affectionately. "What a softie," he teased.

"Whatever," Utau said, but she didn't swat his hand away.

I slid off Kukai's shoulders, ignoring the shrieks coming from the battle behind us. I was too focused on the interaction between Ikuto and Utau. Seeing them act so carefree like that… My feelings of victory were quickly diminished and I looked at them with a warm smile.

"It sure is refreshing to see them act like that," Kukai said to me in a soft voice and I nodded. Seeing one of my best friends and Ikuto looking so happy made my heart swelled, and I was glad Kukai seemed to be on the same page.

"What are you two staring at?" Utau broke us from our daze.

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I said.

"You two really are great siblings, I wish my brothers were that nice to me," Kukai said. Utau just pursed her lips, reverting back to her stubborn character.

Another shriek and a loud splash drew our attention to the other fight. Yaya was flailing around excitedly on Tadase's shoulders and Rima was glowering in the water, completely drenched.

"We won with a perfect score!" Yaya shouted.

The loss didn't appear to leave Nagi too brokenhearted. "Are you alright, Rima-chan?" He asked, but Rima continued to keep herself half hidden beneath the waves, not taking it well at all.

I laughed at Rima and Nagi's drastically different reactions when it came to losing and gave Yaya and Tadase a thumbs up.

"Well, I've had enough water for one day," Ikuto said from behind me. I returned my attention to him to see him making his way towards the shore.

"I'm also throwing in the towel," Utau added, following after him.

"What happened to you liking water?" I asked as the two of them walked away.

Ikuto turned around to face me, still walking backwards towards the sand. "I said I didn't _mind_ it, but I certainly prefer being dry. I just came in to humor you," he said with a grin before turning back around.

I rolled my eyes at his back. Reading him would never get easier.

"Oh, Hinamori," Kukai said out of the blue, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "How did we both end up so interwoven with the Tsukiyomi family.

"Eh?!" I started, shocked at his sudden comment. "Don't say something like that so casually," I whispered sharply, peering around at the others to see if they had heard.

He waved me off. "Relax, no one is paying attention," he said.

Everyone was still chatting indistinguishably amongst themselves, but it didn't stop me from worrying. My friends seemed to have superhuman hearing when it came to this sort of thing.

"Still," I said.

He laughed at my response. "One day you're gonna get over this weird thing you have about expressing your feelings," he said, his eyes still on the two siblings walking away.

I was a little caught off guard by his comment. I never really pegged Kukai as the type of person to catch things like that, but maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit. Or maybe Utau was making him soft, too. Still, I wasn't about to own up to being emotionally repressed. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, blushing lightly.

"Don't worry about it," he replied. I was glad for once he wasn't pushy.

"Are they taking a break?" I heard Tadase say and I turned around to see everyone and our charas making their way over to us.

"Yeah, apparently neither of them are good at handling water for very long," Kukai said.

"Yaya wants to take a break, too," Yaya interjected, slowly making her way past us and towards the shore.

"We all might as well rest for a bit," Nagi suggested.

"It would be a good opportunity to reapply sunscreen and hydrate," Kairi noted.

The others all walked past us, so it seemed unanimous. "I guess we are all getting out," I said.

We all made our way to the umbrellas and took a short rest and a snack break. Yaya recovered after only a few minutes and went off to start a sand castle, inviting Rima, Nagi, and I along with her. Miki and Suu joined me, but Ran flew off to accompany Kukai, Tadase, and Kairi who went to go play frisbee down the shore. Dia hovered nearby but was more interested in watching than participating. Meanwhile, Ikuto and Utau lay basking in the shade of the umbrellas being totally unexciting.

"You guys were actually fun for a moment back there, how long are you planning on resting?" I pried as we worked on the castle a few yards from them.

"Not all of us have endless kid energy," Utau replied, eyes glued to her book.

I scoffed. "You say that like you're so much older," I retorted. She only had two or three years on most of us. She didn't reply and continued to read her magazine.

I ignored her and moved on to Ikuto who appeared to be sleeping. I squinted at him, contemplating throwing a nearby beach ball in his direction just to see what would happen.

"Stop staring at me while I'm trying to sleep," Ikuto said a moment later and I blushed at his accusation.

"I was not!" I snapped back and he just laughed. "Jeez," I complained, returning my focus to the sand castle. I should have just let them be.

By the time the boys had tired themselves out and we had finished our sand castle, the sun was beginning to creep towards the horizon.

"I can't believe how long you guys have been working on that castle," Kukai said, collapsing in the sand near us. Ran wearily drifted onto the top of one of the towers and Miki looked like she almost had heart failure when the edge crumbled off at her weight.

"Ran, come one, can't you lie down anywhere else," I complained, pinching her shirt between my fingers and gently setting her down on a pile of sand.

Tadase laughed. "It's quite impressive," he said, taking a seat next to me.

"And very intricate," Kairi added.

"I can't believe it either," I agreed, looking at the sky. We must have been working on it for at least two hours.

"Smile, Amu-chi!" Yaya suddenly said to my right and I turned only to be blinded by the flash of a camera.

"Yaya!" I shouted, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands. "Give me a heads up before you try to take a picture." I tried to blink away the stars from my eyes, and they slowly faded after a few moments.

"I said 'smile'," she explained, snapping a picture of the castle we had slaved over and then taking a picture of herself with the castle in the background. "Come take a picture with me and our fortress," she requested, and though a little irritated, I crawled over and got in the frame with her.

"Rima and Nagi have to get in here, too," she said, waiting for the two to appear. When the did, she took another shot and I made sure to look past the flash. Rima was not so prepared.

"Yaya!" She yelled, closing her eyes tight. "Why do you even have to flash turned on when it' still light outside," she demanded, her eyes flickering with angry and sightlessness.

"Because they look better with more light," she explained, taking a picture of the ocean with the flash as well.

Yaya's energetic snapshots reminded me that I had promised my mom I'd take pictures for her, so I got up and got my phone from my bag, too.

"Oi, grab one of me and the king!" Kukai slid in next to Tadase, posing for a picture as I walked back over to them.

I laughed at him and Yaya and I both took their picture, capturing their red and winded faces from playing in the sun for too long. Yaya decided to do an entire photoshoot with them, but I had moved on to different subjects.

"Rima! Nagi! I want to take your picture together," I said to them. Nagi happily obliged, but Rima looked less content. Luckily the two had already gravitated towards each other so I just snapped an in-action picture. Rima was just staring stiffly at the camera, but she still looked cute. Nagi, on the other hand, came off as lively and cheerful and it created a nice, contrasting image.

I turned my attention to the demon siblings sitting beneath the shade of the umbrella. They had been watching us run around taking pictures with vague interest for the last few minutes, and when I pointed my phone in their direction they just peered at me through their tinted glasses, not appearing at all ready for a picture. I let my shoulders slump.

"Come on, can't you at least pretend to look like you're happy," I complained.

Utau threw up a lazy victory sign. "I can't help it. It's exhausting just watching you guys run around like that. It's had to keep up," she protested, but at least she was making a minimal effort. I looked to Ikuto and his face remained unchanged. I raised a watchful eyebrow at him and he stuck his tongue out in response. I sighed, but took the picture. At least I captured their personalities.

"We should do a group photo!" Yaya suggested after taking a dozen likely blurry pictures at the pace she was moving around.

"That's a good idea, Yuiki-san," Tadase agreed.

I thought a group picture would be fun, and with enough peer pressure, Utau and Ikuto might even be convinced to be a part of it. "Let's do it!" I said excitedly. As soon as I spoke, I felt a tug at the hem of my top, and I looked down to see Rima pointing to a car in the parking lot. I recognized it as her mom's and was a little bummed at the poor timing, but I knew how Rima's parents were and being on time.

"My mom is here," Rima announced to Yaya, indicating that we had to leave.

"Nonsense! There's still time for one picture," Kukai interjected, throwing up two fingers at the vehicle to signify it would only be a couple minutes. Rima looked a little concerned, but when no one exited the car Yaya managed to half convince, half drag her over to where they others had begun to gather.

We all gathered underneath the umbrella for the picture. It was a good spot since it was out of direct sunlight, but it also forced Ikuto and Utau to be a part of it unless they wanted to move. Kukai suggested they do that if they didn't want to be in it, but they both just sighed and accepted they would be once again be involved in our shenanigans.

Somehow Yaya ended up in charge of positioning our phones to take the pictures. While she was setting up the timers on each one, we figured out seating arrangements. Unsurprisingly, the only options I had left as far as open spots went was either awkwardly far off to the side or next to Ikuto. I weighed my choices for a few moments before concluding sitting next to him would be less troublesome than the alternative in the end. I sat cross-legged on the towel beside him with Kairi on the side opposite of him. I told myself over and over again in my head just to act normal, but all sense of soundness seemed to falter when I made an active effort to do so. In an attempt to force myself to appear relaxed I came off as tense and I was sure he could tell. Of course, it didn't help that I could see him staring at me from out of the corner of my eye.

Yaya was still frantically going back and forth between each camera to check the settings, so I figured I had some time to investigate. I turned and met his gaze. "What are you looking at?" I asked, trying to sound unaffected.

He shook his head. "Nothing, just wondering why you're so tense," he pried nonchalantly.

As I suspected. "It's hard to relax when someone his boring their eyes into you," I claimed, attempting to turn it against him, not that that ever went over well.

He chuckled at that. "I was fairly certain you were tense from the moment you sat down, but perhaps I'm wrong," he replied. I grimaced slightly, although leaving it opened ended like that was a better outcome than usual.

I crossed my arms. "Perhaps you are," I responded, unable to just leave it be.

"I've almost got it!" Yaya shouted as she fiddled with one of the phones.

"Come on, Yaya-chan, I have to go," Rima hollered in a small but annoyed voice.

Yaya just made a face at her and returned to the phone. I watch her press a few more buttons with determination. "Got it!" She said triumphantly. I watched her go to each camera and press the button to start the timers.

"I don't think she's gonna make it in time to be a part of the picture," Ikuto commented. For half a moment, I had been distracted by Yaya's antics and forgot he was there. I returned to my uptight attitude, but didn't respond. I just kept my focus on Yaya who was still by the cameras. With every flash counting down, her window to run back grew smaller. Everyone else was yelling at her to get over here, but the call came upon deaf ears.

"You know, if you are coming off as tense now it's gonna get caught on camera for all to see," Ikuto chimed in as I was attempting to tune him out. "'Can't you at least pretend to look happy?' was what you said earlier, right?" He mimicked my words from before with a grin.

While I was initially irritated by his comment, he made a good point, and I was running out of time to loosen up. I uncrossed my arms and sighed, defeated once again.

"Would you hurry up, Yaya!" Utau shouted a few spots to the right of me, and I couldn't believe she was still over there.

Yaya tapped the last phone screen and jumped up. "I'm coming, I'm coming–"

Just as she began to run through the sand back to her seat, she tripped, face planting in the dirt. I burst out laughing and saw Suu and Pepe fly in her direction right as the camera's all began to go off. I was certain it wouldn't be a very flattering picture, but I was sure I wouldn't look tense, at least.

"Yaya-senpai, are you alright?" Kairi asked, half standing and ready to run to her aid.

"Ah, I wasn't ready," Kukai said, having been in a conversation with Tadase when the flash went off.

Yaya lifted her face from the sand, the small grains coating her cheeks and forehead. "We have to take another one," she half-cried.

Rima stood up in response, signaling the end of our shoot. "My mom is waiting, you shouldn't have tripped," she said ruthlessly.

Yaya groaned, plopping her face back into the sand which caused everyone to laugh again. I saw Kairi shaking his head. "We should probably head out as well," he said, looking at Utau and Ikuto. The two of them agreed wordlessly and stood.

"I wonder how the picture turned out," Ikuto questioned as I rose to retrieve my phone. The tone of his voice said he was expecting something that would be embarrassing to me. I huffed at him, knowing full well that I was laughing before the first camera went off and for once, he'd be wrong.

I walked over to my phone and picked it up, opening my photos. I pulled up the picture and it was a mess. I could see Yaya sprawled out in the bottom left, with Suu flying towards her in a blur of motion. Kukai and Tadase were in mid conversation, Kairi and Utau both looked like they were ready to get up and walk away, and Rima was looking apprehensive and annoyed all at once while Nagi leaned in close, trying to pose with her. I was caught mid-laugh, as I had expected, and I was a little taken aback at how the camera had captured Ikuto. The subject of his interest wasn't the camera lens, but myself. He was looking over at me with such admiration in his eyes that it made my heart flutter.

"Eh, what's got you at a loss for words?" Yaya appeared on my left, angling towards me.

I blinked, not knowing how to disguise my behavior. "Oh, um," I stalled, searching for an excuse. My gaze focused on the black cord dangling off the corner of my phone. "My phone charm is gone," I said. A small black string was left where a collection of keychains once hung.

"Oh no," Nagi said. "It must have fallen off in the sand somewhere."

I nodded, my thoughts still preoccupied with the picture. I gently brushed through the fine gravel where our phones had been, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Amu, my mom…" Rima reminded me in a small voice.

I sifted through the sand one more time before giving up. "That sucks," I sighed. I was upset that I had lost it, but at least it had served a purpose.

Kukai and Tadase tore down the umbrella while the rest of us started carrying our stuff to the parking lot. I saw Ikuto was going for the cooler, but this time he only grabbed one handle and looked at me expectantly.

"I thought you could carry it by yourself?" I asked him, finding it more difficult than usual to maintain eye contact.

"Getting chased by your friends all day used up all my energy," he explained. It was a spotty excuse but I sighed and grabbed the other side.

"But you can't say you didn't have fun, right?" I asked as we began walking.

He weighed that for a moment. "I suppose fun is one word," he replied. I never expected straightforward answers from him, but it seemed like a yes.

As we trudged through the sand, I peered at him from my peripheral, my mind wandering back to the picture from earlier. Did he really look at me like that when I wasn't paying attention? With all his joking and teasing, moments like that really caught me off guard.

"Who's the one staring now," Ikuto interrupted my thoughts. I blushed, directing my gaze forward. I wondered if he knew that the camera had captured him.

I said goodbye to everyone as they went off to their respective vehicles. I thanked Ikuto for helping me carry the cooler to Rima's car.

"A thank you? How unusual," he said as he set the cooler in the trunk.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," I said defensively.

"Stop fooling around and get in the car, Ikuto!" Utau called from a few spots over, saving me from any further harassment.

"Yeah, yeah," Ikuto hollered back, shutting the trunk. "See you next time, Amu," he gave me a parting smile before walking off.

"Bye," I said, probably too quietly for him to hear.

"Stop fooling around and get in the car, Amu," Rima said from the back seat, mirroring Utau's words.

I glared at her. "People who didn't help carry anything don't get to rush me," I said, making my way around the side of the car and then sitting in the seat beside her.

The sky was turning a fiery orange as we left the parking lot.

"Can I see the photos you took?" Rima asked after we had been on the road for a few minutes.

I agreed and pulled out my phone, clicking from picture to picture. She got all worked up over the one of her and Nagi and I cackled.

"You're such a weirdo, Rima," I laughed, making sure to keep the device out of her reach so she couldn't delete it.

When I got to the group picture, I lingered on it for a suspicious moment too long. Rima noticed and snatched the phone from my hand before I had time to blink.

"Hey!" I said, worried about her investigating. I wanted to take it back but that seemed extra suspicious.

Instead, I watched her zoom in on Ikuto and I. "Wow, it's like a real couple's photo," she said, fiddling with the buttons.

"Sh-shut up! Give it back," I said, agitated. I could only imagine what on earth she was doing.

A few more buttons and then she snapped the phone shut, handing it back to me. I snatched it from her, flipping it open so quickly I thought the screen might fly off. My frantic eyes focused on my wallpaper, which was now a portrait of Ikuto and I. It really did look almost couple-like. But I was relieved that was all she had done.

"Jeez, what did you do that for," I said, putting my phone away.

Rima shrugged. "You can always change it back if you want," she replied. I grumbled at her, making a note to myself to change it later.

I got home after sunset, exhausted from the day's events. "I'm home," I called out when I walked through the door.

"Onii-chan!" Ami came from around the corner and wrapped herself around my legs. I gently patted her on the head in return.

"Welcome back, Amu-chan. How was the beach?" My mom asked.

I took my shoes off before walking into the living room. "It was really fun. We played a lot of games, and Kukai and I destroyed at chicken fights," I laughed a little as I recalled. "And the guardians even managed to drag Ikuto and Utau into the water with us."

My mom smiled. "It sounds like you had a good time, did you take lots of pictures?" She asked, walking over to where I was standing.

"Yeah, I took a few," I said, going to hand her my phone, but I remembered what my wallpaper was and decided to just pull up the photos myself. She plucked my phone from my hands right as I opened them and I was relieved that I had just barely made it.

She looked delighted. "These are cute," she said, beeping through one picture after another.

"Oh my," she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "What happened here?" She asked, showing me the picture of Yaya sprawled out in the sand.

"She tried to race four different phone timers and lost," I explained.

"What a silly girl she is," she commented, exiting to the home screen and I felt my soul leave my body. But my mom just smiled. "That's a nice picture," she said.

"Can I see?" My dad slid over, attempting to peer at my phone and I panicked. But thankfully my mom closed it before he had a chance to catch a glimpse.

"I'm sure Amu-chan is tired, we should let her rest," she told him. He looked the smallest bit skeptical, but left it alone. My mom returned my phone to me. "Be sure to save those somewhere so you won't lose them, it looks like you made some fun memories," she winked at me and I nodded. I wasn't sure why she was so supportive of me and always coming to my rescue, but I was grateful for her expert timing and understanding.

I left my parents to crash in my room, my charas giggling behind me.

"What a fun day," Suu sang when we got to my room.

"Lot's of fun!" Ran agreed.

"With lots of good picture," Miki snickered. Dia simply nodded with a happy expression.

I collapsed on my bed, showered and ready to sleep. I flipped my phone open, scrutinizing my background. Just looking at it made my pulse pick up a bit, but it brought a smile to my face. I doubted I would ever use it as any sort of leverage to tease him with, but it was comforting to have for myself.

I shut my phone, holding it to my chest. "Yeah, today was nice."

* * *

*Phew* what a long one. I wish there would have been a good spot for me to break it in half.

Confession: this chapter was not what I envisioned and I'm sorry if it seemed choppy and all over the place. I feel like I drew out the parts that only needed to be touched on and glazed over the important stuff :c I had so much trouble with characterization too tbh maybe it's because there were so many characters to tackle in this chapter idk but thank you for sticking with me guys, I know how much it sucks to wait for chapters and I hate doing it but I hate posting unfinalized chapters even more.

On another note, the plot picks up ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) …. Did anybody catch it?

Anyways, see ya next time! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out sooner than this one, or at least as quickly, but working full time is killing me so we'll see xx

Lucky words: turned, laughed, smiled, quickly ( I USED LAUGHED 33 TIME OMG I'M SORRY I just want them to be happy).


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Hopefully you all managed to get through that short story that was chapter 5 lol really though, I appreciated everyone's feedback on it, so thank you! I pushed myself to get this one out sooner hehe.

* * *

I spent the days following our beach excursion at home, relaxing and packing for a vacation to Sapporo with my family. We were going to visit some of my mom' relatives and I was relieved to get out of the heat for a few days, but I was feeling a little solemn at the thought of not seeing my friends for a week. I wondered if I'd miss any fun plans in my absence.

"We should go see a movie!" Ran suggested after listening to me brood while packing all morning.

I folded up a t-shirt and looked at her. "By ourselves? That seems kind of lame," I replied.

"No, with friends of course! You should see some of them before you go out of town so you can say goodbye," she explained.

I stopped folding and pondered the idea. "Well, I'm pretty sure Tadase and Kukai are out of town for a few days, and Yaya babysits on Tuesdays last time I checked," I explained, striking them off the list.

"That still leaves Rima and Nagihiko," Suu pointed out.

"Or Ikuto," Miki added.

I ignored her comment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It won't be as big of a day at the beach, but those two always seem to have the most amusing interactions, so it should be fun," I concluded, texting the both of them.

Rima responded after only a few minutes, saying she could be at my house in an hour if my mom could take us. Nagi said he had a lesson to wrap up, but he could meet us at the theater afterwards. I neglected to mention to Rima that Nagihiko would be coming, but I was worried if I told her she might bail, so I decided keeping it to myself was for the best.

Rima arrived at my house a little after eleven, looking like a real life doll, as usual.

"What movie are we going to go see?" She asked as we were waiting for my mom to get her stuff together.

I pursed my lips. "I'm not sure, we haven't decided yet," I explained.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "We?" She inquired, and I realized my mistake.

"Oh, yeah," I started, wondering if I'd have to drag her into the car by force upon revealing the third member of our party.

"Ami is coming, too!" Ami announced as she appeared from around the corner with my mom. A nice distraction, but not what I was hoping for. I looked at my mom to see if he was being serious, and she gave me a pleading look. I sighed and turned to Rima.

"Do you mind?" I asked her, and she shook her head. I wasn't thrilled about another day of babysitting, but I didn't seem to have much choice in the matter.

We drove to the mall and my mom dropped us off out front. I checked my phone to see if Nagi had texted me, and he wrote the he'd arrive about ten minutes ago. I started a new message, telling him we'd be at the theater in a few minutes.

"Who are you texting?" Rima asked curiously as we walked towards the entrance. Ami was already ahead of us, eagerly holding the door open.

I was contemplating lying to her, telling her the truth, and not answering at all. Unfortunately, my long pause had likely already given away that something was afoot. "Nobody," I answered as we passed through the entrance, only feeding her growing suspicion.

I saw her narrow her eyes from my peripheral. She stealthily grabbed my phone and I didn't bother trying to get it back. I figured I should probably give her some warning, at least. I watched her scan the content of the message and she came to a halt, her eyes widening.

"Nagi is coming, too?" She asked, her tone a mixture of disbelief and panic.

Ami turned to me with a beaming expression. "Long-haired boy?" She asked excitedly.

I nodded at Ami but tried to suppress a grin when I faced Rima. "Yeah, I thought it would be fun for us to all go together since everyone else is busy," I explained.

She thrusted my phone back at me. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She said, looking apprehensive.

I put a hand on my hip. "Because I thought you might bail if I did," I told her.

She opened her mouth to shoot something back, but then recomposed herself. "Why would I have bailed?" She tried to ask casually, but it came off as defensive. She started walking again as if to add to her claim.

"Because you always get weird around him," I accused, and her attempt to come off as aloof dissolved again.

"I do not!" She said, her cheeks pink with frustration.

"You started acting defensive the second I brought him up," I said. Just like at the beach a few days ago, she was wearing that same stubborn expression and holding herself uneasily. It was a little abnormal to see from her since she hadn't acted like this since when we found out she was into comedy. Even stranger, it felt like she was behaving a lot like I did when I found myself in agitating situations with a certain someone.

And then it hit me.

"Wait," I stopped walking this time, but she continued to move forward. "Rima, don't tell me you like–"

Faster than lightning, Rima spun around and slapped her tiny hands over my mouth. "Don't say it!" She threatened in a high-pitched voice, her blush deepening.

I was looking at her with expectant eyes and grinning against her fingers. Finally, I wasn't the only person dealing with these obnoxious emotions.

She stared me down, her expression a cross between hostile, distressed, and flustered. I put my hands up to signal I wouldn't say anything, and she began to hesitantly remove her hands. I kept my mouth shut until she had cautiously rested her arms at her sides. I stayed silent for a few seconds to lure her into a false sense of security.

"Ne, does Rima-chan have a crush on the long-haired boy?" Ami asked before I could get a word out.

Rima shrieked at Ami's words and collapsed into a ball on the ground, which drew a few confused stares from those around us. I laughed at her reaction, but got down on her level.

"Come on, Rima. What's the big deal? Nagi is one of my best friends and the nicest person I know, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," I explained to her over Kusukusu's and my sister's cackling.

She remained hidden in her makeshift shell and I wondered if there were any words that could console her. Though relieved I wasn't alone in my suffering, I hated to see her so upset over something like this, and I couldn't let her tremble on the ground forever. I turned to Ami and Kusukusu and held a finger to my mouth to silence them, and their laughter died down.

I placed a hand on Rima's small back. "You don't have to worry, Rima. It's not like I'm gonna tell him or anything," I told her. She lifted her head up and glared daggers at Ami's big mouth. "And if Ami says anything, I'll make sure to tell mama that she was so bad today that she won't let her go anywhere fun for the rest of the summer," I gave my sister a threatening smile and the look she wore assured me that it wouldn't be an issue. Rima looked a little less concerned, so I guess it had convinced her, too.

She peered up at me through her bangs. "It's still embarrassing," she muttered.

"What's embarrassing about liking someone?" I asked. She arched a brow at me and I realized how silly that sounded coming out of my mouth. "Someone like Nagi, anyways," I added for some perspective.

She just pouted without saying anything and I sighed. I supposed she might tell me more in time, but for now it seemed like she was going to keep the rest to herself.

"Amu-chan! Rima-chan!" I heard a familiar voice call and I looked up to see Nagi walking towards us. I waved back to him and felt Rima tense underneath my palm.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as he approached, obviously referring to Rima's condition.

"Well," I started, contemplating how I could cover this up. But before I had the chance to think about it, Rima popped up, now standing tall. Her expression was back to normal and she appeared to have made a full recovery. I was constantly impressed with her acting skills.

"Are we going to go see a movie or what?" She asked, walking away from the three of us towards the theater. Kusukusu was rolling around laughing, obviously seeing something we couldn't and I sighed. If anything ever developed between Nagi and Rima, he'd be in for a wild ride.

"Did I miss something?" Nagi inquired, turning to me for an explanation.

I shook my head. "No, just Rima being Rima," I said.

"Onii-chan let's go!" Ami said, tugging at my wrist to follow Rima.

"Okay, okay," I replied, and the three of us began walking after Rima. We caught up to her outside the ticket booth since we had not yet decided what we were going to see.

"Oh, let's see this one," Suu said, floating over to a poster with a large dog standing on a hill, looking regal.

"Suu, I think that movie is for kids," I told her.

"What about this one?" Dia suggested, looking intrigued by one about aliens.

Her head was always in the stars. "Well we–"

"What about _this_ one?" Miki asked, and I turned to the sign she was looking at. All that was on it were swirls of dark colors and piercing red eyes. The title was in a chilling font and I felt the color drain from my face.

"M-maybe not that one," I said. Horror movies were only appropriate during October, and even then I liked to avoid them.

"I want to see that one," Rima said abruptly, making me jump. I looked at her and saw her pointing at the dark poster.

"Why? Seeing a scary movie in summer seems wrong," I tried to deter her, but the look in her eyes didn't give me much hope.

"This one actually revolves around a summer vacation, so it could be fun," Nagi added unhelpfully.

"Scawy movie! Scawy movie!" Ami chanted. I glared at her, knowing full well that she hated horror films as much as I did and she just wanted to agree with the others.

"It's decided!" Ran chimed in, and I resigned to my fate. I could only hope it wouldn't be as bad as it looked.

We bought our tickets and some popcorn before heading into the theater. Just being in the darkness made me more jumpy than usual, and I made sure everyone walked ahead of me since I knew none of them could be trusted.

We took our seats towards the back of the room, some part of me believing that if we were further away it would be less terrifying. Conveniently, there were only four open seats next to each other, and I quickly took a spot in the middle and sat Ami in the outside seat next to me so that Rima would have no choice but to sit next to Nagi. It was a small victory, but I would take what I could get.

"Are you feeling better, Rima-chan?" Nagi asked as we sat through the previews.

"I'm fine," she said, not adding much to the conversation. I sighed internally. She was so difficult to read, it was a good thing Nagi was patient.

"I'm glad to hear, I was worried when I saw you on the floor like that," I heard him say, his caring essence coming out so naturally.

"Well, there was no need," she said without looking at him. I gently kicked her in the foot. Just because she was flustered didn't mean she couldn't try to be a little nice. She shot me a sharp look and met my own. She grimaced for a second longer before returning her gaze to the screen.

"But thanks for asking," she added in a quiet voice that you could barely hear above the sound of the movie clips, but judging by the small smile on Nagi's face, he had heard her. Kusukusu started giggling again and I heard one of my charas kick her less gently than I had kicked Rima. They started making a commotion behind us when Ami turned around and shushed them loudly.

"Shh! It's starting," she whispered at them, and they quit bickering for the time being. I settled into my chair, preparing for the worst.

I was ready to dash out of the theater after the first fifteen minutes of the movie. All my charas except Miki were just barely peaking over the edge of the seats in front of us and Ami looked like she was trying not to cry. Rima and Nagi seemed to be enjoying it, or at the very least, our reactions to it. I dug my fingers into armrests, as if holding onto them tight enough would keep my soul from leaving my body.

We were about half an hour deep when a creature appeared on the screen without warning and I screamed, shielding my eyes with my hands and knocking the bucket of popcorn onto the ground in the process. Ami was clinging to my arm and burying her face into it while Rima was cackling quietly in the seat beside me. I heard a few chuckles coming from Nagi between the other cries throughout the theater.

My heart was racing and I resolved to use the popcorn as an excuse to leave. "I'm going to go refill this," I stuttered, picking up the empty bucket from the floor while trying to ignore the hair-raising sounds coming from the stereo.

"I'm going, too!" Ami said without opening her eyes. Ran, Suu, and Dia followed us down the aisle, but Miki just stuck her tongue out at us as we left. Even though I was ready to faint from fright, I took some solace in the look Rima gave me once she realized I was leaving her by herself with Nagi.

We exited the theater, the fluorescent lights breathing a new life into me that I never thought they could. "This was a bad idea, Ami," I half scolded, half cried. She just nodded aggressively, still traumatized by the horrors we were subjected to.

We meandered around the hallways of the venue trying to recover and kill time. Ami peered nervously around every dark corner we passed, and I was sure she'd be sleeping either with my parents or myself for the next week.

"Let's go buy some more snacks, Ami," I beckoned her to follow me. I knew we'd have to go back eventually, but I wanted to waste a little more time before we did.

We returned to the concession stand near the entrance, and I was probably the only person there who was actually grateful for the long line. Maybe we'd miss the whole middle section of the film if we took our time picking out what we wanted. I glanced around the mall as we waited, watching the crowds of people walk passed the opening of the theater.

A few people left the line and I moved forward a couple spaces. I was starting to get close to the front and I let some people go before me to grant myself a little extra time. My charas were all focused on the candy and I assumed I'd be dropping far more than I wanted to on expensive theater treats. I watched them press their faces up against the glass as if they'd never had candy before, but then Ran perked up and looked around. Dia and Suu copied her a few moments later.

I gave them a confused look. "What's up?" I asked, peering around the area.

"I sense some characters nearby," Suu said.

I continued to scan the crowds. "Oh, is it someone we know?" I investigated further.

"Utau-chan!" Ami squealed out of nowhere, drawing my attention, along with a few others, to her.

"Huh?" I asked her, but she had already start running off towards the exit. "Ami!" I shouted, ducking underneath the line divider and going after her. I followed her line of sight and spotted a figure with a purple beanie and sunglasses. At first glance I may not have recognized her, but it was definitely Utau. El and Il were floating behind her, and I assumed that was who they had detected. I saw her looking around for the source of the sound and when she saw Ami running towards her, she looked a few yards back and spotted me.I waved to her as I approached, wincing as Ami continued to laugh excitedly while she ran through groups of moviegoers. I saw Utau nod in my direction to someone beyond my line of sight on the other side of the wall, and my heart skipped a beat when Ikuto appeared from around the corner a moment later. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, rolled up jeans, and sandals. He was also carrying more than half a dozen shopping bags and looking not too happy about it. He followed Utau's gesture and when he saw me, his expression lit up, flustering me further.

I closed the distance between us, trying to usher Ami away from Utau as she wordlessly gushed over her. When I managed to drag her away, she locked onto Ikuto and was immediately enamored by him.

"Wow, what a cool cat boy," she said with sparkles in her eyes. I covered my face with my hand, not willing to drag her away again.

"What are you guys doing here?" Utau asked, glancing behind me. "And where is the blue one?"

I guessed that she was referring to Miki. "Well, we came to see a movie with Rima and Nagihiko, but those two and the blue one thought it would be funny to see a scary movie. It proved to be a little much for us," I explained, laughed awkwardly at my cowardice.

Ikuto chuckled. "How long did you last before you had to bail? Ten minutes?" He teased, and I huffed at him.

"It was at least half an hour!" I snapped back.

"Onee-chan spilled the whole popcorn bucket when a monster was on the screen!" Ami announced, as if she hadn't been shrieking next to me at that same moment.

Ikuto laughed more. "Sounds like something she'd do," he grinned at me and I fumed at his amused expression. It didn't help that my charas were giggling behind me.

"Are you guys planning on returning to the movie?" Utau asked, saving me from further harassment.

I stopped, turning to her. "Oh, I think–"

"Good, so you can come with us. I need more bag holders," she ascertained without bothering to hear my answer.

I was secretly relieved I wouldn't have to go back to finish the movie, but I wasn't too big on the job she had bestowed upon me, either. "You have two hands, can't you carry some?" I inquired.

"Nope, my arms are the reserves in case you two run out," she explained, and I couldn't believe there were even that many clothes in the mall that she wanted. I sighed, accepting that I may end up her pack mule for the meanwhile. I felt a little guilty abandoning Rima, but I was sure she'd survive. Even so, I sent her a text letting her know that I'd become preoccupied with something and they'd have to find us after the movie got out.

We left the movie venue behind and began our campaign around the mall. I quickly learned why Ikuto had been so far behind Utau; she was walking with such purpose it was hard to keep up without working up a sweat. Ami and I ended up hanging back with Ikuto while Utau scouted for the next store to pillage.

"What is she looking for that has her so determined?" I asked Ikuto as we walked.

"She's shooting a new music video over the next few weeks and Sanjou has entrusted her with the costume preparations. Needless to say, she eagerly jumped on it," he explained.

"I see," I said, watching her inspect the windows of every store we passed like a bloodhound tracking down a scent.

"Ikuto-niisan, so you sing like Utau-chan?" Ami asked and I nearly fell over at how she regarded him.

"Ami!" I said sharply, but she ignored me entirely.

Ikuto laughed at the both of us. "I don't, but I play the violin," he told her.

She beamed at him. "Ooh, amazing! Utau-chan and Ikuto-niisan are so cool," she giggled happily and I cringed at her words again.

Ikuto was obviously getting a kick out of Ami, judging by his grin. "Your older sister's pretty cool, too, don't you think?" Ikuto prompted, and I side-eyed him.

Ami nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! She's the coolest," she said. I guess she wasn't always so bad. But I saw her place a finger on her chin. "But maybe Utau-chan is cooler," she added and my shoulders dropped.

"Thanks, Ami," I said.

Ikuto let out another laugh, having too much fun with my sister.

Utau turned into a very expensive looking store and we followed after her. I peeked at one of the price tags and quickly dropped it, worried that if I even looked at it for too long I'd have to pay for it.

Utau seemed to know exactly what she was looking for because her arms filled up with heaps of clothing in minutes. It was almost impressive. When she collected all her arms could carry, she made her way to the dressing rooms. Ami, Ikuto, and I sat down on a bench outside the rooms, anticipating we'd be there for a while. Ami squeezed into the spot between Ikuto and I, not feeling self-conscious about her actions at all. She swung her legs back and forth, but I was glad she wasn't acting obnoxious about have to wait around.

"How long does this usually take?" I asked Ikuto.

He shook his head. "I swear, it takes longer every time," he admitted, and that didn't bode well.

Ami giggled and I looked at her. She was staring at Ikuto with hearts in her eyes. He glanced at her and smirked, which only made her giggle and sway more. I sighed. I guess I was competing with my own sister now.

"Ami, why don't you and the _great_ characters play hide and seek while we wait for Utau?" I tried to entice her, praying they wouldn't get into too much trouble. Ami seemed a bit reluctant to leave her seat, but once the three of them flew off, she couldn't resist going after them. I relaxed, relieved she may not embarrass me for a few minutes. Although, I remembered I was better at embarrassing myself than anyone else, and questioned my decision.

Ikuto cracked a smile as she ran off. "Worried you were going to have to start competing with your sister?" He teased. I actually laughed, only because the thought had occurred to me just moments ago. I almost told him I already made that joke, but decided against it.

"Sorry she's acting like this, she really has no idea what boundaries are," I said, my tone laced with one part affection and one part annoyance as I watched her gleefully chase my charas around the clothing racks.

"You forget I half raised Utau and Tadase, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with kids," he reminded me.

I stared at him. "That's right," I said. I had forgotten that. Ikuto was forced to take on an adult roll when he was hardly my age.

"So, do you have any exciting plans for the summer?" He asked, preventing me from dwelling on those thoughts for long.

I thought for a moment. "Well, my family and I are going out of town in a few days for about a week," I explained. Truthfully, with everything that had happened, I had almost forgotten about the trip. The only reason I remembered was because my mom asked me a few days ago if I had started packing yet.

"Where are you guys going?" He asked, looking straight ahead, which was a little unusual. He was typically more invested when we spoke, so I found his absentmindedness kind of out of place.

"Sapporo, to visit some family and get out of the heat for a bit," I said, and he simply nodded in response. It was like he hadn't heard what I said. I leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his attention. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked, concerned. He turned to me, and the look behind his gaze was unnerving. We stared at each other for a long, silent moment before he sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing into the bench.

"Just sad to know you'll be leaving me for a week," he answered, his words followed by a small grin.

I let my shoulders drop and rolled my eyes. "Jeez, it's just a week. I'm sure you'll survive," I replied.

"Time will tell," he joked. Even with his humor, I still felt uneasy. That look remained in his eyes even while he smiled, and it almost felt like he was keeping something from me. It seemed like an unreasonable thought, but I couldn't shake it. Before I could pry further, his phone buzzed and my chance was gone. He pulled it from his back pocket, and when he opened in, he wore a warm expression. At the same moment, my phone buzzed.

"What is it?" I asked curiously as I dug through my purse for my phone. He turned the screen towards me and tt was a picture of Aruto, Souka, and Yui sitting at a restaurant. The picture was accompanied by a message that read "good food and good company 3", and I smiled. I was glad to see they were catching up on all the time they'd lost. I guess Ikuto hadn't been kidding when he said they had been spending a lot of time together.

I turned on my phone and saw a message from a number I didn't recognize. I opened it, and was perplexed when I saw the same picture Ikuto had just received. "How did your dad get my number?" I asked, giving him a puzzled look. Ikuto just shrugged, although I assumed he had something to do with it. Still, it was thoughtful of Aruto to have included me. Ikuto peered at my phone screen and without warning, tapped the 'home' button. I realized too late what that action would entail. I swiftly pulled my phone to my chest, trying to shield the screen from him, but I knew he had already seen it.

"Nice background," he commented, and I turned a particularly deep shade of red.

"Rima changed it, not me!" I said defensively, and I cursed Aruto for trying to include me now.

Ikuto just laughed. "I didn't say anything bad, did I? Don't get so worked up," he pointed out. I glared at him, hesitant to let my guard down. But he didn't appear to have any intention of taunting me further, so I tried to let it go. I opened my phone again to reply to Aruto's message, not that I was entirely sure what to say.

"Amu," Ikuto said. II looked up and was surprised to see our faces looking back at me on his phone screen.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to lean out of the frame.

He angled his phone so I was back in it. "Replying with pictures is more fun, you know that. Plus I want to show my old man how my day is," he said.

I flustered at his comment. "Your _date_?" I asked, not sure if I heard him correctly.

I saw him shake his head on the screen. "My _day_ ," he emphasized, and I wished I hadn't asked for clarification. I grimaced at the image that was staring back at me, hoping that my unhappy expression would deter him from taking the picture, but he snapped the shot anyways.

I shook off my frown. "Wait, you aren't actually going to send that to him, are you?" I asked as I watched him fiddle around with the buttons.

"Of course I am," he replied. I tried to grab his phone, but he held it out of my reach and sent the message before I could get my hands on it. "What's the problem? It's cute," he said, showing it to me, and I took the opportunity to snatch it from him, not that there was anyway to unsend it. The picture was captioned with "good company~" despite the fact that I didn't look very thrilled about the company I was with. I roughly set his phone on the bench, crossing my arms and resting my back against the wall behind me.

"How unflattering," I complained. I would have almost preferred posing for a picture.

"It's cute," he said again, inclining against the arm of the bench.

"As if," I scoffed, focusing my gaze on Ran as she was searching around the store for Ami and the others. The phone interaction had distracted me momentarily, but I wasn't going to let go of that expression Ikuto had been wearing earlier. Something was definitely on his mind.

Utau exited the fitting room a couple minutes later, carrying only half of what she had gone in with. She said she was ready to move onto the next store and I groaned.

"How do you need more clothes than what you already have?" I asked incredulously.

She began walking towards the register. "You have no clue how many outfits a person can go through in one video," she said, setting her clothes on the counter.

"Whatever, are you finished?" I asked.

She handed the cashier a card. "With this store," she replied. Ikuto and I shared a pained look that we didn't try to hide from her. "Or for the day, I guess, since you two don't seem up to the challenge," she dared.

"I surrender with dignity," Ikuto said without missing a beat, and she pouted, looking at me.

I held my hands up in apology. "I'm also gonna have to throw in the towel," I admitted, to her displeasure.

Utau sighed. "I supposed asking your younger sister to help would be wrong of me?" She inquired, already knowing the answer.

Speaking of my sister. "Ami! We're leaving," I shouted, and I saw her pigtails darting around a t-shirt shelf.

"Okay!" She laughed breathlessly, and the sales clerks looked relieved that we were taking her with us. We walked towards the exit but Ikuto stopped, turning around and swinging the shopping bags about. "Ah, I forgot my phone on the bench," he pointed out.

"That's kind of important," I said, walking back to get it since I was only carrying two bags compared to his seven. I picked it up and hurriedly made my way back to the them. I offered it to him, but then realize he had no free hands. "Er, where should I put it?" I asked. He didn't have a purse to put it in.

He looked like he was trying to suppress a grin. "I usually keep it in my back pocket," he told me, and then I understood why.

I pursed my lips. "I'll just hold onto it for now," I said, slipping it into my bag. I may have made it weird by doing that, but I was sure the alternative would have been worse.

I walked with them to the exit and when we stopped at the doors I pulled out my phone so I could call Rima. I saw that I had five progressively angrier texts from her and I was sure I'd never hear the end of it once we reunited.

"Are you leaving now?" Utau asked as I anxiously read through my messages.

"No, I think I'm gonna go hunt down Rima and Nagi and see how the rest of the movie went," I explained, replying to her text. I was certain Rima was already in the process of hunting me down, though.

"Did the two of them enjoy their date?" Utau inquired casually.

I looked up from my screen and gave her a perplexed look. Was she making a joke or did she know something was up with them? "Um, I don't know if I'd call it a date, but I'm sure they had fun," I replied, trying to give her a vague answer.

Utau just shook her head. "You guys are all so weird about your feelings," she said, and I figured that was somewhat directed at me, but I overlooked it. "Anyways, thanks for your help today," she added, taking the two bags I was carrying from me. "I'll see you next time," she waved, ready to leave when Ami latched onto her legs.

"Bye, Utau-chan!" She chirped. Utau looked slightly taken aback at the sudden display of affection, put patted my sister on the head.

"I'm sure I'll see you again soon, too," she said, which made Ami giggle happily. After she managed to pry her from her legs, she exited the building. Ikuto hung around for a moment longer.

"I'll see you when you get back then?" He asked, and I nodded. I was a little disheartened knowing I wouldn't be seeing him again before I left the day after tomorrow, but I didn't want to butt into his personal life more than I already did.

Ami managed to squeeze herself in between the bags he was carrying to hug him, too. "Bye, nii-san. Please hang out with us more," she said, continuing to have no boundaries.

Ikuto grinned at her. "I'd be happy to," he answered, shooting me a look. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Amu-chan!" I heard a pleasant voice call from behind me and I turned around to see Nagi walking with Rima. I waved to them, pretending not to notice Rima's sinister glare, and turned back to Ikuto to say goodbye. Ami was still hugging his leg, and I had to pull her off.

"Come on, Ami," I complained, dragging her towards me. Clearly we both had similar tastes in guys. When she saw Nagi and Rima, she ran off towards them, her attention span fleeting as ever. I shook my head at her.

Ikuto chuckled beside me. "Imagine if you were that straightforward about your feelings," he commented and I tensed up.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I pressed.

"Nothing, nothing. I have to go before Utau leaves without me. Tell your pals I said 'hey'," he said, leaving me to face the wrath of the friend I had forsaken. I glared at him as he went until Rima and the others reached me.

"Seeing Ikuto here must have been a pleasant surprise. How was he?" Nagi asked when he approached.

"He was good," I said without thinking, but I remembered that not all was good. Ikuto had been acting strange and I never got the chance to investigate further. But I couldn't dwell on that now. "Excluding the part where Utau made us carry all her stuff, anyways," I explained. "How was the rest of the movie?" Neither Miki nor Nagi looked too traumatized. Rima was still looking upset, but that might have been due to her irritation with me rather than the movie.

"I enjoyed it, although it was probably for the best that you left, it got pretty terrifying towards the end," he laughed, the frightening scenes obviously having no effect on him. "Rima-chan found it less funny after you left since she had to actually watch the movie instead of you," he explained, and Rima's face reddened which made Kusukusu cackle. I wondered what I had missed in my absence.

"Sorry I ditched you guys halfway through, but I had fun all the same," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"No worries, things come up. Next time we'll have to see something more Hinamori Amu appropriate," Nagi teased, lightly hitting me in the shoulder. "Maybe we can invite Ikuto and the others next time, too," he added.

That'd be something alright, but I nodded in agreement. "Did you need a ride home?' I asked him.

He shook his head. "No, my mom should be here soon. Thank you though," he replied. "I hope to see you again soon," he said, his focus more on Rima than myself. "Amu-chan, enjoy your vacation. I look forward to hearing about it when you return," he said with a smile before we parted ways.

Rima and I sat outside as we waited for my mom to arrive. "You remained relatively quiet throughout that whole interaction," I said after a few minutes of silence

"You left me," she said bitterly.

That I did. "Was the movie scary?" I asked.

"All by myself," she ignored my question.

"How did it end?" I pressed, not caring about how the movie ended at all.

"With _him_ ," she seethed, and I laughed at her annoyed expression.

"What exactly happened after I left? It's not like you haven't spent time with him by yourself before," I reminded. She fumed at my remark and didn't answer.

Kusukusu laughed loudly, holding her stomach tightly. "Rima was so scared she could hardly keep her eyes open," she said in a fit of giggles. "Nagi had to comfort her through the whole movie," she continued, and Rima tried to silence her, but the small jester easily dodged her.

"Stop! It was so embarrassing," Rima shouted, managing to get her hands around Kusukusu on the second try. She still let out a muffled laugh despite Rima's hands around her mouth.

"They were so distracting, it kind of ruined the movie," Miki said, disappointed. I'd have to have her relay the details to me later.

"Yeah, well. Welcome to my life," I said in an attempt to console her.

"Ne, are you and Nagi boyfriend and girlfriend?" Ami asked out of nowhere, and Rima turned bright red.

"No!" She snapped, causing Ami to stumble backwards a bit. Rima's anger quickly simmered down and she put her face in her hands. "He said we should spend more time together over summer," she fretted.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" I asked. Rima shook her head, still hiding her face. "You know, you don't have to turn hanging out with him into a romantic thing. First and foremost, you guys are friends, so hang out as friends. It doesn't have to be anything more unless both of you want it to be," I advised, and it seemed to soothe her a small amount since she uncovered her face.

"You sure have a lot of advice considering you can't take any of it yourself," Miki interjected.

"Did anyone ask you?" I glared at her, but she drifted away without responding. She really loved to point out my inconsistencies.

Rima and I watched Miki and Kusukusu suspiciously whisper to each other and giggle, but quickly decided to leave them be. Whatever they were talking about probably wasn't something we wanted to hear. "Is your mom going to be here soon?" Rima asked, switching topics.

"Hmm, probably, but I can text her," I said, going into my purse to grab my phone. When I opened it, I was puzzled to see I had two phones. "Oh, yeah," I said, and Rima gave me an inquisitive look. I pulled out his phone to show her. "I told Ikuto I'd hold onto his phone when he dropped it, I guess I forgot to return it," I explained.

"'Forgot,'" Rima and Miki said in unison. Her loyalty changed by the second.

"Hey! It's not my job to make sure he remembers his stuff," I protested.

Rima shrugged, probably just happy the spotlight was on me now. I sighed. Truthfully, I was relieved he had left it with me, because it meant I had an excuse to see him again, if only for a few minutes. I texted Utau, telling her I'd come by tomorrow afternoon to return it to him. She said she'd let him know that he 'forgot' it, quotations included. I wondered if he had really left it intentionally.

My mom pulled up a few minutes later, and we returned to our respective houses only after I made Rima promise me she'd let me know if anything noteworthy happened while I was away. Once we had dropped her off, I spent the rest of the drive home deep in thought, speculating what could have made Ikuto wear such a dismal expression.

* * *

A much more manageable chapter. The wheels are starting to turn and plot point one is beginning to bud hehe tune in next time for some Aruto-Souka-Amu interactions that I'm really excited about!

And I know Ikuto's wardrobe is usually black and boring but I like to think that someone who owns a 'free hugs' shirt has a few things in his wardrobe that aren't black and close toed. (He definitely owns a pair of Birkenstocks).

Side note: all I'm saying is that Ikuto and Amu would love snapchat.

Also, heads up, this story is gonna be… long. Like, kinda ridiculous, so I hope y'all are ready to invest some time into it haha.


	7. Chapter 7

School has started back up and I'm trying to crack down on a cosplay so my apologies for the delay! My goal is one chapter a month, but my updating habits are volatile so we'll seee.

* * *

The following afternoon I got ready to head over to Ikuto's house. I dressed slowly, trying to mentally prepare myself for how I was going to approach him about yesterday. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, but I was feeling more worked up over it by the minute.

"Are you okay, Amu-chan?" Ran asked as I was fiddling with my shoelaces.

I pulled the strings tightly. "Yeah… Just worried about talking to Ikuto," I explained even though I was sure they were already well aware. "Wonder if there is something really wrong?" I asked myself more than them.

"Well that's why you're gonna ask him," Suu stated the obvious in a reassuring tone.

"Or maybe everything is fine and you're just being obsessive," Miki added a moment later.

I shot her a look. "Not helpful, Miki."

Dia flew up to me then, grabbing my attention. "There's no point in troubling yourself over it until you figure out what's actually happening. Something could very well be wrong with him, but it could also be nothing that serious. Regardless of which one it is, you shouldn't dwell on it too much, not until you see him, at least," she advised me. She was right, as always, but putting my concerns from my mind was easier said than done. I'd have to try though, long enough to get passed my mom, anyways.

I headed down stairs a few minutes later. The weather was overcast so I was planning on simply walking over, but when I told my mom where I was going her interest was piqued.

"What are you going over to Ikuto-kun's for?" She asked, pausing the TV and turning to face me.

I had to make my errand sound as uninteresting as possible to try and deter her. "He forgot his phone with me yesterday, and I told Utau I'd drop it off today," I explained in a dull tone as if I had no desire to go, even though I was itching to dash out the door.

My mom wore a puzzled expression. "How unusual for someone to forget something important like a cell phone," she questioned. It seemed like no one was convinced by the excuse Ikuto had given. "Well, I'd be happy to drive you. Ami is out with your father right now so it'll just be the two of us," she said with a small smile.

This was what I was trying to avoid. The last thing I wanted was for my mom to be there while I was trying to look into Ikuto's behavior. Worse, there was a good chance at least one of his parents would be there, which could be endless trouble. "Um, you really don't have to. It's not like they live far away," I told her.

She obviously chose to ignore my response because she clicked the TV off and rose from the couch. "It's really no problem at all! Maybe I'll even get a chance to meet the rest of his family," she giggled happily about what I was dreading and I sighed, knowing her decision was made.

We drove to their house at around 3 o'clock, the grey clouds casting a weary atmosphere over everything. I was contemplating how I was going to ask Ikuto about how he had been acting the day before, and if it was even worth bringing up again. I mean, like Miki had said, maybe it was me making a big deal out of nothing. Sometimes people just had bad days, no matter how positive they usually were, so I didn't necessarily have to make a big deal out of it. And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"I still think you should ask him," Dia interjected my thoughts. "If you don't, you might spend your entire vacation worrying about it," she counseled. She had a point there, I definitely didn't want to have to pretend everything was okay while trapped with my family for a week. I didn't reply, but I was more determined to investigate now.

When we arrived, I made one final attempt to keep my mom from interfering. "Are you sure you don't want to just wait in the car for me? I should only be inside for a few minutes," I asked, even as she was already unbuckling herself.

"Nope, nice try though," she winked at me as she exited the vehicle. Apparently I had been too obvious. I followed after her, trudging up the sidewalk beside her.

"Please try not to be too weird, at least," I requested, knowing there was no way to stop her from coming with me.

She lightly knocked on the door and turned to me. "You think I'd intentionally embarrass you?" She asked. I didn't think she'd ever try to on purpose, but unintentionally was a whole different story.

"No, just... " I wasn't sure what to say, 'Please don't act like a mom,' seemed too harsh, but I heard delicate footsteps approaching the door and decided to leave that thought where it was. When the door opened, we were greeted by Souka.

"Oh, hello Amu-chan, and I assume your mother?" She smiled at me and then turned to my mom.

I had no doubt that Souka had guessed who she was by how uncomfortable I appeared, but my mom's face lit up. "Please, call me Midori," she greeted with excitement.

Souka nodded. "Come on inside," she said, gesturing for us to enter, and I shuffled in behind my mom. "My name is Souka, I'm Ikuto and Utau's mother," she explained. "Ikuto told me you'd be dropping off his cell phone around this time. He and his father stepped out this morning, but they should be back any minute if you don't mind waiting for them," she said, taking a seat at the living room table. As much as I wanted to see Ikuto, I was prepared to throw the phone on the table and drag my mom out with me.

"We don't mind waiting at all," my mom spoke for me, now rooted in a chair at the table and I knew we'd be stuck here until the two of them returned. I unwillingly took a seat beside her, accepting what fate had laid out for me. At the very least, I had a little bit of time to prepare for what had seemingly become a family get together. But it was difficult to concentrate with my mom fawning over Souka as she was.

"Wow, you look so much like your daughter! I can see where she gets her good looks from," she gushed, and I groaned.

Souka blushed and thanked her, and the two of them chatted about there kids and husbands like they'd known each other for years. It was almost scary how well they were hitting it off. I guess my mom didn't have a lot of girlfriends, and it would seems Souka didn't either, so they must have found some comfort in each other's company.

"They are quite the talkative bunch," Ran pointed out as we watched them interact. I nodded, wondering how grave of a mistake I had made when I allowed my mom to come with me.

"I think it's lovely seeing two people get along so easily," Suu chimed in, ever the optimist.

I guess it was a little nice, but I was still skeptical of the trouble it would get me into.

"So, Midori, what do you do for a living?" Souka asked curiously.

"I'm a writer," my mom answered.

"Wow! What an amazing job," Souka said excitedly and my mom tried to wave her off.

"Oh, it's nothing really, I just right for a local magazine, not too crazy," she said modestly.

Souka shook her head. "No, that really incredible. I'd love to read some of your work, you'll have to tell me the name of the publisher you work for so I can look you up," she said.

My mom looked like she was trying to remember something. "Well, I might actually have some in my car, if you're interested," she explained.

"Yes, definitely!" Souka nodded enthusiastically. My mom jumped up at the opportunity to share her writing and dashed to the door. I sighed and slumped into my chair, I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Oh! Ikuto-kun," I heard my mom exclaim in surprise when she opened the door. I straightened up and turned around to see Ikuto and Aruto standing in the doorway.

"Welcome home," Souka called out. My mom moved out of their way so they could come inside.

"Hello, Mrs. Hinamori, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Ikuto said politely.

"Oh, Amu's mother?" Aruto asked with interest and my mom nodded.

"I'm Midori, it's wonderful to meet you," she said with delight.

"And yourself," Aruto responded cheerfully. The two of them continued to chat by the doorway while Ikuto made his way over to me.

"You brought your mom to drop off my phone?" He ask with an amused expression.

I exhaled with exasperation. "She offered to drive me," I told him.

"You could have said no," he pressed.

"Trust me, I tried," I explained.

"Clearly not that hard," he said with a chuckle.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was already getting on my nerves even though he'd barely walked through the door. "I have half a mind to keep your phone, idiot."

"Need more time to snoop through it?" He said without missing a beat and I heard Souka giggle beside me.

"So, Amu, what brings you here today?" Aruto asked, interrupting our banter before I could come up with a response. I huffed at Ikuto, but at least he seemed to be back to normal today.

"This one forgot his phone with me yesterday," I said, throwing it towards Ikuto in hopes that it would hit him, but he caught it with precision.

Aruto chuckled. "Eh, really? It's not like you to misplace your stuff, how convenient," he said, turning to Ikuto. Ikuto just stared him down, and it almost seemed like his dad was poking fun at him. "Well, thank you for going out of your way to return it," Aruto said gratefully.

I nodded, just now noticing the musical instruments the two of them were carrying. "Where were you guys?" I asked.

"Playing down at the street fair, there are usually quite a few people there early in the morning," Aruto explained. "You should come see us play sometime!" He added a second later. "Ikuto told me you and your family are going out of town for a few days, but we have some shows scheduled through the next two weeks if you're interested once you return," he suggested. I was a little surprised when he mentioned me going on vacation because I didn't remember telling him about it. I wondered just how much Ikuto told his dad about me.

"Souka, I found them!" I heard my mom say, and she appeared from the doorway waving around a few copies of her journal. I hadn't even noticed her leave. Souka rose from her seat and ushered my mom into a room that looked like an office down the hallway, presumably to keep our banter from reaching them as they read over her writing. Ikuto creased his brow, looking a little confused.

"Have they met before?" He asked me, and I shook my head.

"Nope, first time," I said, and yet they were laughing and chattering like sisters. Even Aruto appeared a bit perplexed, but there was happiness mixed in with it. "But yeah, I think I'd like that," I replied after a moment. I was sure the two of them playing together would be an almost magical experience.

"Great, we'll reserve a special seat for you," Aruto said with a grin, although I was fairly certain they had open seating at the street fair. Then he put a thoughtful finger to his chin. "Actually," he started, turning to Ikuto. "Didn't you get Amu something from one of the vendors today?" He asked and I tilted my head.

"Huh? For me?" I inquired. I wonder what compelled him to do that.

Ikuto gave his dad an irritated look, but he also appeared a little flustered, to my surprise. "Jeez, dad, is there anything else you want to throw out there while you're at it?" He asked sarcastically.

Aruto laughed at his remark. "Was that a serious request?" He teased, and Ikuto shoved his violin into the older man's chest.

"Why don't you be useful and put these away," he said, clearly annoyed.

Aruto just chuckled again, taking the violin from him. "Looks like I embarrassed him," he said, leaning towards me as he walked by, but Ikuto's aggravated expression confirmed he had still heard every word.

I couldn't help but grin. "I didn't think there was anything that could embarrass you," I confessed. It was such an unusual expression to see on him, but it was endearing.

Ikuto just shook his head. "I wish he'd go missing again," he said keenly, reaching into his back pocket.

"I heard that!" Aruto's voice carried from the hallway and Ikuto rolled his eyes.

"Here," he said, offering me a small package.

I reached out and carefully took it from him. It was wrapped in parchment paper and tied up with some fraying string. "Ah, should I open it now?" I asked, not having expecting a gift upon my visit. Ikuto shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets. My charas gathered around me as I delicately tugged at the twine and pulled the paper apart, revealing what looked like a keychain. When I lifted it from the paper, I realized what it actually was. "Oh– a phone charm!" I said in awe, examining it further. It had three stars on it, two silver and one gold. It was such a simple trinket, but the gesture alone brought color to my face.

"It's to replace the one you lost at the beach a little while ago. I couldn't remember exactly what you had before, but I saw it and it seemed like a good place to start," he explained casually.

I turned it over in my hands, the small metal charms clinking against each other. "Thank you, this was actually really thoughtful," I said honestly, but he still looked flustered. All my charas swarmed around my hand and inspected it, Dia was particularly interested in the glistening stars.

I looked at him, waiting for a response, but he just pursed his lips and avoided my eyes. He had no trouble showing his affection through things like teasing, but giving gifts always seemed to be a bit outside of his comfort zone. I wasn't sure what else to say, but I realized his lack of response gave me the opportunity to ask him about yesterday. And with both of our parents absent, I knew this would likely be my only chance.

I placed the charm back into the paper and folded it together. "Hey, so I've been meaning to ask you," I started, and his expression shifted to one of curiousity. "Yesterday, you were acting kind of, distant, I guess, like there was something on your mind… Are you sure everything is alright?" I asked, and then averted my gaze. "I don't mean to pry into every detail of your life, it just bothered me to see you looking like that," I added, turning my attention back to him. I was hoping to see a sly grin accompanied by something like 'Aw, you were that worried?'. Instead, for half a heartbeat, he looked apprehensive. Like his thoughts were at odds. But I blinked and he had already reverted back to his usual self.

"I hope you weren't up _all_ night worrying about me," he said, as I was expecting he would. However that brief hesitation had me uneasy.

I crossed my arms and gave him an irritated look. I wasn't going to back down. I didn't say anything in hopes that he would understand I was being sincere. He waited for me to counter for a few seconds before his grin faded and he sighed.

"You've gotten better at holding your ground," he pointed out, and I felt a small sense of triumph. He crossed his arms and shifted on his feet. "If you must know, I've just been mulling over the future, nothing all that serious," he disclosed.

I was relieved he had finally confessed, but his somber expression from before led me to believe it was at least somewhat serious. And his vague answer left me feeling like I had taken a drink from an empty glass; like it was only half an answer. I now had a dozen other questions, like what exactly was he thinking about and if he wanted to talk it over, but Aruto popped out from around the corner right as I was preparing to investigate further.

"The atmosphere in here is so serious, what on earth are you two talking about?" He asked, and Ikuto's expression quickly changed to one of irritation again.

"Just about how I can't wait for you to disappear again," he jabbed at his father who simply laughed at his comment and slung and arm around his shoulders.

At the same time, my mom and Souka appeared from the office, laughing happily as they made their way over to us.

"How do you like your gift, Amu? It seemed a little plain to me, but Ikuto said it had some sort of significance," Aruto remarked.

I nodded and opened my mouth to reply, but my mom beat me to it.

"Oh, a gift, from who? Ikuto?" She deduced correctly. Why did parents have to be so nosy. I reopened the package and showed it to her.

"I lost my phone charm at the beach and never got around to replacing it, so he got this for me," I explained, slightly flustered, but I tried to be objective about it.

My mom examined it briefly and then returned it. "Wow, Ikuto, that was so kind of you," she said with enthusiasm.

"Ikuto has always been such a giver," Souka added, bringing a hand to her chest. I looked at Ikuto and he had regressed to his aloof attitude, obviously not used to all this attention. I decided I'd do him a favor despite knowing he'd never rescue me from a situation like this.

"Mama, we should get going, Ami and Papa will be getting home soon," I reminded her, having no clue what time they were actually supposed to get home.

But it seemed to work. "Oh, right, I got so distracted! Sorry, Amu-chan," she said, turning to Souka and Aruto. "It was such a pleasure to finally meet you both. I hope we can get to know each other more," she said, and they kindly agreed. "And I'm sure I'll see you around, Ikuto-kun. Thanks for always looking out for Amu," she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder tightly.

"Mama!" I blushed, and everyone but myself laughed.

"Thank you for stopping by, Amu. Have a safe and enjoyable trip with your family," Souka said with a smile.

"Send Ikuto lots of picture so we can see what it's like in Sapporo! We've never made our way up there before," he said, clapping a hand on Ikuto's shoulder that he reluctantly left alone.

"I'll see you when you get back," Ikuto said, looking as sick of his parents as I was of mine. I nodded in agreement, and we left. Although I was feeling somewhat reassured knowing what had been bothering Ikuto, I was left worrying over what exactly about the future was troubling him, and why his response seemed to be missing something. Aruto's timing in interrupting us was almost as precise as Ikuto's tended to be. I decided that I'd try to put it from my mind for the next few days, a part of me hoping that the issue might resolve itself. But if he was still acting abnormal when I got back, I'd convince him to tell me more.

* * *

I feel like the flow of this chapter… is weird… Like there are gaps in it that I couldn't figure out how to fill. But at least it's shorter than the last few chapters, right? Lol

Confession: I _live_ for flustered Ikuto. It's such a rare sight and you just know he would only show that side of himself to a select few people (namely, Amu), and I love that idea so much. I feel like especially now that Easter no longer has it's hold on Ikuto and his dad is back, he would be able to loosen up a bit, and feel just comfortable enough to be a little vulnerable every now and again.

And I know that a star charm might be a little basic, but I didn't want to do a key/lock/cross/heart/other overused symbol. Plus, they are kind of connected via the stars no matter how far apart they are, which is cute hehe.


	8. Chapter 8

FORGIVE ME Old updating habits die hard. Here is part one of Amu's Sapporo trip! I'm hoping and praying part two follows shortly.

* * *

Two days after my visit with Ikuto, my family and I departed for Sapporo. We arrived at the airport two hours early, per my dad's insistent request, but our flight ended up getting delayed an extra two hours due to poor weather conditions. Three hours later, we were still waiting in the lobby.

"If we had taken the train we'd almost be there by now," I complained, sprawled out across a row of uncomfortable airport chairs. I glared at the clock on the wall opposite of me, wishing I could will time to move faster.

"You're father got a special deal on these tickets, it would have cost far too much to have us all travel by train, you know that," my mom reminded me, but I still slouched against the seats. My dad and Ami were off walking around the airport to kill time while my mom and I watched our luggage, but I had begun to regret not going with them about an hour ago.

"If I had known we'd be stuck here for so long, I would have at least brought a book or something," I grumbled.

My mom just shook her head. "Why don't you text one of your friends? I'm sure that'll help the time pass," she suggested, flipping through her own book. Then a small grin appeared on her face. "Or Ikuto," she added a moment later.

I didn't acknowledge her last remark. She was getting far too comfortable when it came to Ikuto, and that seemed like dangerous territory. In spite of her comment, I pulled out my phone and decided I'd text Rima to see if she wanted to chat.

I waited about 20 minutes for her to reply but she never did, so I had to assume she was busy with something else. I didn't want to text Ikuto because I was sure that was what my mom wanted, but the boredom must have been clouding my judgement because the next thing I knew I was snapping a picture of the "Departing Flights" board and starting a new message with Ikuto as the recipient. Under the image I wrote out a message that read " _Our flight got delayed, so we're stuck at the airport for an extra two hours_ ," and sent it.

Ikuto replied promptly just a couple minutes later and his words made me fluster. He had responded with, " _Is that a request for some company?"_ and I wondered what had I just gotten myself into.

Miki peered at my phone screen. "Remember what happened the last time you two were at the airport together?" She asked, bringing back a rush of pleasant but embarrassing memories having to do with a passionate confession and a cheek-kiss that was exceptionally close to not being one. I blushed more at her reminder, and I saw my mom giving me a curious look from my peripheral that I deliberately ignored. I had no clue how I was supposed to reply to such a message. But as I was staring at those words, I got another text from him.

" _I'd offer to accompany you, but I'm with my mother and father for one of Utau's rehearsals,_ " it read. Relief instantly washed over me and I felt like that was something I could actually reply to.

" _That sounds nice, with your whole family,_ " I wrote back. It made me smile to think of them all hanging out like that. I was glad they were able to make up for all the lost time.

"You don't look so bored anymore," my mom noted, and my smile quickly faded. I looked over to see her grinning smugly which only made my expression drop further. My gaze shifted a few yards behind her when I saw my Dad and Ami making there way make to us. What an opportune time.

"Why don't you harass Papa and Ami with your nosiness," I turned my nose up and away from her, but I could still hear her laugh at my reaction.

My phone beeped, and I turned my attention back to it. I opened a new message from Ikuto and the contents brought the smile back to my face. It was a picture of him with Souka to his right and Aruto to his left, and he was looking quite smothered between the two of them. Even better, it was captioned with " _They're enjoying it, anyways._ " I giggled and saved the picture to my phone. It was fun to see this flustered side of Ikuto, and it was reassuring to know he was acting his normal self again after his unusual attitude from a few days prior.

After another hour of waiting we were finally able to board our plane. The flight itself was only about ninety minutes, so we landed in Sapporo a little after two p.m.. My mother's sister met us outside the airport and we had little trouble finding her because she was the only person eagerly waving around a sign that read "Hinamori.'

"Midori!" She squealed as we approached her, dropping the sign and running towards us. I had forgotten what an energetic person she was.

My mom looked equally excited, setting her bag down and embracing her sister with open arms. "Akemi, it's so wonderful to see you again," she said, pulling away and peeking back at the car that Akemi had been waiting nearby. "Where are Hana and Mateo?" She asked. Mateo was my aunt's husband, and Hana was their daughter, who was about the same age as Ami.

"They stayed at home, we decided that trying to fit seven people in one car might be a bit of a challenge," Akemi clarified. Then she turned to my dad. "Tsumugu, I hope you've been taking good care of my sister," she said with the hint of a threat. I had also forgotten that my aunt was on the same level of distrust of guys as my father was. My dad laughed awkwardly and nodded, and Akemi gently nudged him in the shoulder, signalling that all was well.

"Oba-san don't forget about me!" Ami called out, no longer able to contain herself and wrapping her short arms around Akemi's leg.

My aunt laughed and roughed up Ami's hair. "How could I forget an angel like you? Especially when you've gotten so tall," she said, which made Ami grin happily. Then Akemi locked on to me. "And when did you get so old!" She exclaimed, enfolding me in a tight hug that I had no say in.

"I could say the same about you, Akemi. Have you been taking care of your skin? You're starting to look more and more like mom these days," my mom playfully teased, drawing Akemi's attention away from me. The two of them started bickering and laughing as siblings did, and we made our way back to Akemi's car and drove to their house.

They lived in a whimsical little house that backed out to the beach. I wasn't quite sure how they could afford a place in such a scenic location, but I was excited to live beachfront for a few days.

We made our way inside and I was startled when Akemi opened the door and a fluffy golden retriever jumped up to greet us. I stumbled backwards in my dad. "Have you always had a dog?" I questioned as he sniffed at my shoes.

"Nope, we got him about two years ago. His name is Prince," Akemi explained, petting him on the back and he wagged his tail with such enthusiasm that his whole body moved with it.

"Puppy!" Ami shrieked in unison with all four of my charas, and they immediately swarmed Prince with with loving coos and pets.

"I knew he would be the main attraction," a male voice spoke and I looked up to see my uncle Mateo in the entryway. I greeted him as we entered the house, shuffling around the dog and Ami as they rolled around on the floor together, equally excited by the other's presence.

"Ami, look at daddy!" My dad butted in, pulling out his camera and snapping picture after picture of Ami and Prince with glee.

I shook my head at my dad and looked at my mom to see her reaction but she was busy peering around the house already.

"Where is Hana?" She asked her sister after a moment.

"Oh, she is at her friends house right now, but I'll be picking her up shortly," Akemi explained. "If you all want to spend some time getting settled in, I have a few errands I need to run before I pick her up, do you mind?" She added sheepishly.

My mom laughed lightly. "Did you forget to go grocery shopping for dinner tonight?" She asked with a raised brow. Akemi impetuously denied her accusation, but I was beginning to recall that she was an incredibly forgetful person so I assumed my mom was onto something.

Akemi stepped out for a bit while my family and I unpacked. Mateo had directed Ami and I to where we would be staying, a guest bedroom with two cots laid out in the center. It was a pretty small room but it would be a cozy place to sleep, and there was a high window that I could hear the ocean from that I was sure would be relaxing to drift off to.

"This is going to be such a nice vacation," I said, sitting on my bed and listening to the sound of the beach outside.

"Listening to the ocean is so relaxing," Suu commented, equally as content as I was.

Akemi returned about an hour or so later. I was still in my room messing with some of my stuff while Ami and my charas were tussling with Prince nearby. I heard rapid footsteps running towards us and a moment later Hana appeared in the doorway with a huge smile on her face. "Onee-san! Ami-chan!" She exclaimed, and Prince hopped up to greet her with a slobbery kiss that made Hana giggle. She pushed him away gently and returned her attention to us, but then I saw her eyes focus behind me and go wide at the spot wear my charas were floating.

"A-amazing!" She cried and ran towards them and the quickly flew out of reach. "Onee-san, what are they?" She asked with stars in her eyes.

I jumped up and shut the door to her room, not wanting any parents to come investigate what all the shrieking was about.

"They are onee-chan's great characters!" Ami explained for me.

"Great characters?" Hana asked with bewilderment, never taking her eyes off of the four of them who were huddled together far out of their reach.

"Yep, great characters," I interjected, getting onto one knee so I was eye level with the two of them. "They are super cool fairies that you can play with all you like," I started, and I could feel the four of them staring daggers into my back as I set them up with another child. "But you have to keep them a secret from your mom and dad, okay? Because if any adults find out about them, they'll disappear forever," I lied dramatically to ensure Hana wouldn't go rambling about floating characters to her parents. "Can I trust you to keep this top secret?" I challenged her.

She nodded diligently. "Yes! Onee-san!" She replied, and I sighed with relief. I hadn't taken Hana being able to see my charas into consideration, but I was glad the same strategy I used on Ami seemed to have worked with her.

After that brief introduction, Ami and Hana quickly hit it off since they were the same age and the two of them were running around the house with the dog and my charas with my dad on their tails while my mom, Akemi, and I worked on cooking dinner.

"So, how is your new job? You're working at the Museum of Art downtown now, correct?" My mom inquired to her sister as she was dicing up a carrot.

Akemi nodded. "I've been there for nearly six months now so I'm not sure I would still call it a new job, but I'm enjoying it. I love being able to ramble on about art to strangers, as you're already quite familiar with," Akemi chuckled.

My mom laughed with her, obviously recalling some memory from their past. "And it's safe to assume Mateo is still into his software programming work?" She asked, glancing at him as he sat at the dining room table, his nose almost pressed directly to his computer screen. Akemi nodded in response. "Just as it's safe to assume Tsumugu is still following his passion for photography?" She guessed, the sound of never-ending camera shutters from the other room confirming just that. The two of them giggled with each other at their predictable husbands and continued to catch up while I quietly dressed some greens in a large bowl. I knew that they had a lot to talk about, but I also knew that they'd eventually run out of topics to discuss and the attention would likely turn to me, which was dangerous territory for myself. I hoped I could put that attention off for as long as possible.

After we had finished preparing everything we sat outside for dinner, the evening sun's reflection on the ocean making it feel like we were really on vacation. The adults were making friendly conversation that I periodically contributed to with a nod or a light laugh, meanwhile Ami and Hana were giggling to themselves. I peered over at them and could see the two sneaking food to Prince under the table, but they were enjoying themselves so we made the unspoken decision to let them be.

"So, Amu, are you excited to be starting middle school soon? Or are you nervous?" Akemi asked me as other exchanges began to die down.

It was an innocent enough question to be directed at me, which was a relief. But to be honest I had hardly thought about starting middle school since graduation. After my charas returned I hadn't been fixating on the future as much, it seemed less frightening when I had them at my side. There were still a lot of things changing, but I felt like I'd be okay. "Hmmm, I guess I'm a little nervous, but mostly I'm excited," I explained. "I'm still going to be at the same school as a lot of my friends, so I think it should be fun," I told her.

"That's good! You know, one of my friends has a daughter who's starting middle school this year and she's just terrified, so I'm glad to hear you're going into it with a positive outlook," Akemi responded with a smile.

"Amu is pretty mature for her age," my mom chimed in cheerfully.

Akemi rested her chin in her hand, shooting me a fond look. "Ah, you've grown up so much since we last saw you, you're practically a teenager now!" She said, and I blushed lightly. Here was the attention I was trying to avoid.

"You're gonna be quite a catch with those middle school boys," Mateo casually added in between a bite of food, and I saw my dad tense up from my peripheral.

Akemi laughed in delight. "Oh yes, I'm sure! Do you have a boyfriend yet, Amu?" She asked offhandedly, and the bite of food I had been about to put in my mouth slipped from my flatware and fell onto my plate. My dad looked like he'd been stabbed.

"N-no, I'm trying to focus on my academics right now," I fumbled over my words, wanting to deviate from this topic as quickly as possible. I glanced over at my mom who appeared noticeably amused, but she didn't seem to be gearing up to say anything that might out me.

My aunt didn't look like she was buying it, though. "Eh, but you look a little flustered. Are you sure there isn't at least someone that you like?" She leaned towards me with an inquisitive expression that only made me blush more.

I threw my hands up and waved them frantically in an attempt to put her off. "No! I really just–"

"Amu-chan," my dad cried dramatically at the other end of the table. He looked like he was ready to topple over with heartbreak and I wanted to crawl under the table and hide from them all. I heard my charas cackling nearby and everyone at the table, excluding myself and my dad, laughed in unison with them. Even Ami and Hana were giggling, though I doubted they actually knew why the rest of the family was laughing in the first place. I buried my face in my hands since that was about the closest I could get to hiding without actually slipping beneath the table.

Thankfully, my mom came to the rescue and shifted the conversation to a different topic after their bout of amusement, so I was left alone for the time being. I wordlessly tuned into their conversations, remaining on edge in case I had to abruptly go on the defensive again.

We stayed outside on the deck for another half an hour or so before finally heading inside. The sun was just setting to the west and the sky was reflecting all different shades of pinks and purples onto the ocean. It was such a picturesque scene compared to our usual view at home. I pulled my phone out to take a picture, knowing full well that my camera wouldn't be able to capture the vibrant colors as clearly as I saw them.

"Wow, the sky here is so pretty without all the buildings," my mom said with admiration as she looked out to the horizon.

"And you made fun of me for moving out here all those years ago, saying there was nothing good about the countryside," Akemi teased, and my mom gently nudged her with her shoulder before they made their way to the house.

"What a lovely sight," Miki sighed next to me, ever the appreciator of beauty.

"Are you coming inside, Amu-chan?" I heard my mom ask from the doorway.

I turned back to face her. "Yeah, I'll be just a minute. I want to take some pictures before it gets too dark," I explained.

"You know, your father's camera could probably capture a better image than your phone," she offered.

I pursed my lips. "Yeah, but I want to send some to my friends tonight," I told her, and she nodded knowingly and left me to my task.

I took half a dozen pictures and wasn't truly happy with how any of them turned out, but I settled on one and started a new message on my phone.

" _Look at the view we have from the place we're staying at."_ I attached a picture to the text and sent it to Ikuto.

"I thought you were sending pictures to your friends," Miki said slyly from over my shoulder, catching me off guard.

I quickly put my phone away despite knowing she had already caught me. "Ikuto is my friend," I justified, walking purposefully towards the door and ignoring whatever else Miki and the others were muttering to each other.

I got inside and my mom was helping my aunt clean up the kitchen, while my dad and Mateo were laughing fondly as Ami and Hana played with/tormented Prince. There was so much happening with all the extra people, it was hard to keep up with what everyone was doing.

"Nii-san! Come play with us," Ami beckoned from the other side of the room.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What exactly are you two playing?" I asked. From what I could tell, her and Hana were trying to make Prince wear some of their clothes, and it didn't seem like much of a game judging by the unamused but tolerant expression on his face.

"Dress the puppy!" Hana cheered, throwing her hands up to show all the clothes she had plans to dress him up in. With Hana's hands no longer on Prince's collar, the dog took the opportunity to dash from the two girls, clearly having put up with their horseplay long enough. The two of them squealed in surprise and quickly went chasing after him and I shook my head.

"It's going to be a long week for that puppy," I commented, and my charas nodded in unison.

I took a seat on the couch and pulled out my phone, smiling when I saw Ikuto had replied. His message read, " _What a coincidence_ ," and attached to it was a picture of a similarly violet-pink sky from what looked like the roof of his house. It was a fairly ordinary text, but I was moved by a strange feeling of connectedness knowing that even though we were far apart, we were still under the same sky.

"Were you friends jealous when the saw the view from where you're staying?" Akemi plopped down next to me and I flinched, instinctively wanting to hide my phone away, but I knew if I reacted like that she would have been incredibly suspicious. So, I kept it out and showed her the picture Ikuto sent me.

"Oh yes, very," I mislead her.

She scanned the image on my screen and I was relieved when she snickered triumphantly. "Good! Your Tokyo sunsets don't compare," she commented, obviously proud of her lodgings. But her expression changed to one of curiosity a moment later and I wasn't sure I was out of the woods yet. "But I have to know, is that a boy your texting?" She inquired quietly so that only I could hear her.

I tried to laugh her off. "Yeah, but he's just a friend," I explained.

My lie was met with intense scrutiny and I thought her gaze might burn straight through me and. But once again, my mom came to my aid not a moment too soon.

"Girls and boys can just be friends you know. Leave Amu-chan alone and finish helping me wash up," she threw a dish rag on her sister's head and I exhaled in relief when she left to go after my mom.

"Your aunt sure is nosy," Ran commented and I slunked into the couch

"Yeah, no kidding," I replied. It was only our first night here and she'd almost dug up that information twice now, and I knew my mom wouldn't always be there to save me. I was hoping she'd give it up soon, but somehow I was certain she wouldn't rest until she got the details out of me.

"It's going to be a long week for everyone," Dia smiled half-heartedly and I just shook my head.

About an hour later, we turned in for the night. Luckily Hana and Ami had tired themselves out after playing with each other all evening, so I was able to settle in easily. Prince slept in the room with us, and Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia retired against his fuzzy back.

The following day we went to a nearby cafe and had breakfast together. Prince got to tag along, as well, and he was as excited to join us on our family adventure as Ami and Hana were excited to have him there. Afterwards, we walked around the beach for the better part of the morning, the adults chatting away while I was assigned the responsibility of little sister/cousin/dog watching, which almost tore me in three directions at any given moment so I hardly enjoyed our stroll.

We got back to the house a little after one in the afternoon, and my mom, Akemi, Hana, and Ami left shortly after our return to attend a children's event in town. My dad and Mateo kept themselves occupied through their sharing of knowledge on the latest tech and software since their fields of interest did a bit of overlapping. I was on my own and grateful for a bit of downtime. I relaxed into the couch with Prince to mindlessly watch TV until the two terrors returned. At some point amidst the droll of reality TV I had dozed off, but was awoken by Ran buzzing eagerly around my head.

"How can you just sit around when there are places to be explored?" She asked, obviously eager to get out of the house again.

I sat up a bit, rubbing the sleep from my eyes despite how hard it was trying to summon me back into the cozy sofa. "We just spent all morning outside, don't you want to take a break?" I replied, not interested in moving for at least another couple of hours.

"We've been taking a break! It's time to go, go, go!" She said animatedly. I picked my phone up off the side table I had set it on and was surprised to learn it was a little after five.

"Are mama and the others back yet?" I asked, distracted. I had one call and six new messages, all from Rima, and I wondered what was up.

"Not yet, but I overheard Mateo say they'd be back by six at the latest," Suu mentioned.

I nodded, flipping through the texts, all of them a variation of 'call me, it's urgent'. Her words shook the last bit of fog from my mind and I sat up more. Suu scanned my phone screen briefly.

"Is everything alright with Rima-chan?" She asked, drawing the concern of the other three.

I shook my head. "I don't know," I replied. I was worried something was wrong, but I also knew that this was Rima, so she was likely just being overly dramatic about something. Still, I went outside, the four of them tailing behind me, and called her back.

She picked up halfway through the second dial tone.

"Where have you been!" She demanded as if I had been MIA for days.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Spending time with my family," I half lied, "is everything okay?" I asked, Ran and the others huddled near my phone in anticipation. Unlike the loud greeting I got when she answered the phone, all I got this time was silence from her end. I checked my screen to make sure the call hadn't dropped, and sure enough it was still counting down the duration of the call. "Rima? Are you there?" I asked again. I heard distant giggling which I imagined was coming from Kusukusu, so I was certain there was nothing wrong with the connection. I frowned. "If this is your way of trying to make a prank call, you're doing a terrible job at it," I explained, not sure what she was up to, but not even a jab at her comedic abilities incited a word from her. "Listen, if you're not gonna say anything I'm gonna hang up–"

"No, I'm not pranking you. I'm sorry," she finally spoke in a voice smaller than normal. "I just…" She started, and I waited for her to continue. I wondered if something serious actually had happened. "So, earlier today, Nagihiko invited me to go to the park with him," she confessed slowly.

The light bulb flickered on. With her behavior, I should have suspected it had something to do with him. "Eh, like a date?" I asked with a smirk that was mirrored by my charas.

"No!" She shouted back immediately, and I laughed.

"Well then, what did you two do at the park?" I inquired. She merely grumbled in response, but I waited for her to elaborate. "Come on, you can't say that and then nothing else; tell me about it!" I pressed.

"What did you wear?" Miki hollered into the speaker before I could push her away.

"What did you guys do?" Ran snuck in as I tried to shoo away Miki.

"Did you take pictures?" Suu inquired amidst the chaos.

"It wasn't a date!" Rima shot back defensively at all of us. I held the phone tightly to my ear to shield the obnoxious bunch from the speaker. "I simply met him at the park earlier this morning. And we walked around for a while," she explained.

I could imagine how that might have gone. "What did you guys talk about? Or did you silently walk next to him with your arms tightly crossed the entire time?" I guessed, and judging by the frustrated sound coming from the other end, it was fairly on the mark.

"We made friendly conversation," she said keenly. "And got snacks at a food cart," she added.

"Did he buy them for you?" I interjected. After a brief pause, she muttered something that sounded like a 'yes', and I giggled. "How nice of him," I commented. "What else did you do?" I added before she could respond to my previous remark.

Trying to get the details out of her was like pulling teeth. "Mostly just walking around the park together," she continued, but it seemed like an open-ended sentence.

"And?" I pried further, certain there was something she was keeping to herself.

She paused briefly. "And he might have said some things," she leaked a few more droplets of information.

I raised an eyebrow with interest. "What sort of things?" I heard Kusukusu cackle again, which only aroused my fascination more.

"I don't remember what he said exactly," she trailed off as she searched for her words. "But at one point he started going on about how he enjoyed spending time with me, and how he had been watching me grow over the last school year," she stumbled through her thoughts and I sat eagerly at the edge of my seat, knowing there was more. "He also mentioned that he was looking forward to seeing the person I'd become in the years to come," she trudged through those final words. I glanced at my charas were covering their mouths at what Rima had said.

That was such a mature thing to say to someone, but hearing that it came from Nagi, it made sense. He was always honest and genuine, well, except for that _one_ condition, and made his emotions and feelings very apparent. "How did you respond to that?" I asked.

"I told him he was a stalker and should stop watching me all the time," she said bluntly.

My shoulders dropped and I sighed. Of course she said that. "Oh Rima, you really ought to try and be a little friendlier sometimes," I said, not that I was really one to talk. I looked out to the ocean and imagined how I might react in a similar situation with Ikuto, and I was sure it would be an almost identical outcome.

She humphed quietly. "What else was I supposed to say?" She asked defensively.

I guess she made a point, I couldn't envision her saying anything remotely on the level of what Nagi had said to her, but maybe in time. "Well, I'm glad you guys were able to spend some time together at the very least," I told her. "And who knows what the new school year will bring," I gently teased, and I heard her fussing wordlessly on the other end.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door behind me. I turned and saw my mom waving to me and I placed my hand over the speaker of my phone. "I'll be just a minute," I called to her, and she nodded and shut the door.

"Who was that?" Rima asked, probably grateful for a topic change.

"My mom and sister just got home from an evening on the town, I should probably go back in so they can talk my ear off about it," I told her unenthusiastically, wanting to investigate into Rima's situation further. "But I'll talk to you more when I get back, okay? Of course, let me know if anything else develops while I'm gone," I added smugly.

"Hmm, I'll see you when you get back," was all she said before she hung up.

I smiled as I made my way towards the house. I was glad those two were getting along so well.

"It seems like love is flourishing all around," Suu commented blissfully while the others giggled, and I quietly ignored her.

I got inside and Hana and Ami were excitedly greeting the dog after being separated for a few hours, and he looked just as enthusiastic to see them.

"How was the program or convention or wherever you guys were?" I asked, unsure exactly what it was they went to other than that it was targeted at kids Ami's age.

"Hana and Ami had a great time, but we're pretty beat," Akemi spoke for her and my mother both. My mom was collapsed into the sofa I had spent my afternoon in, so whatever they had been doing must have been draining. And yet somehow my sister and cousin still appeared to have energy to spare. I saw the two whispering to each other and I wondered what exactly they were up to, and after sharing a simultaneous nod Hana ran up to me and looked at me with big, pleading eyes.

"Amu-chan, can we take Prince for a walk?" She asked while dramatically batting her eyelashes. I was hesitant to comply but I wasn't sure I could say no, especially with my charas cheering in agreement beside me.

"That's a great idea, it'll give us some time to plan dinner," my mom commented from the couch, but Akemi waved her off.

"Let just order something in, Midori. Mateo can recommend a few places and you and Tsumugu can pick one," Akemi explained, and then turned to me. "Do you mind if I accompany you three on your walk?" She asked, and the little ones happily agreed. Then she huddled near me so that only I could hear her. "Although I'm sure you know how to handle your sister, the two of them are quite a handful, and I'd hate to have them take advantage of you," she confessed, and I was slightly relieved to have her company.

We walked along a different path on the beach than we had this morning. This one was a little further from the hustle and bustle of the touristy area, and if it wasn't for the shrieking children running ahead of us, it'd be quite a pleasant stroll. Prince was able to walk off leash with less people around and he ambled back and forth between Akemi and myself, Hana and Ami, and every shrub and lamppost in between us. My charas were also up ahead with the two girls, contributing to the chaos.

"So, Amu, I'm still curious…" My aunt started after we had been walking for a while. "Tell me a bit about this boy that you like," she inquired, and I was immensely caught off guard. I didn't think she'd be dwelling on that 24 hours later. I knew by my startled reaction I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of it, so I decided I'd attempt to give her some of the surface details. Just enough to satiate her curiosity.

"Oh, well," I began, not sure where to start, "um…" I was off to a detailed explanation.

My aunt giggled. "He must be something special," she noted as I struggled to get the words out, and I wrung my hands anxiously.

"He's just…. Well, there's nothing really happening between us right now, you see..." I pressed my finger against my lips. How could I put this lightly? "He's a bit older than I am, and kind of hard to pin down… And we met under some unusual circumstances," I tried to explain our relationship in a way that wasn't as crazy as it actually was, which was more difficult than I thought it would be.

Akemi nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like an intriguing rapport you two have," she commented. "Your mother told me a bit about this Ikuto person, and he sounds like a nice boy," she added, and when she said his name my heart fluttered.

"What did she tell you?" I blurted out too quickly.

Akemi laughed at my frantic response. "Got something to hide?" I flustered at her accusation, which only entertained her further. "No need to be embarrassed, she only mentioned that you helped him out of a rough spot, and that he was very supportive of you and your endeavors," she clarified. "And that you were having some anxieties over him," she added.

Anxiety was an understatement. I shrugged sheepishly, "I don't know," I started, uncertain as to why I was telling her this. "It's just a lot of uncertainty, I guess. Which I know is just how life is, but I've never been in a situation like this before, so not knowing is kind of unnerving," I explained to her.

She crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Relationships, or even just the prospect of them, will definitely put you in that position," she said. "But I wouldn't worry about it too much," she started, and I looked at her wondering what sort of advice she was about to share with me with. "Amu, you're growing up so fast, but you're still so young! And life has a funny way of changing unexpectedly, so stressing about uncertainties won't do much good for you," she explained. "Things can evolve and change so quickly at your age, the next time I see you, you could be fretting over some other new love, so I wouldn't get too caught up in these things just yet," she assured me.

I scanned her face and knew that she was being genuine. I gave her a small, somewhat forced smile and looked away. "Right, I'm sure you're right," I replied.

"I always am," she said with a grin. Then she turned her attention forward and focused on Hana and Ami who were a few yards ahead of us. "Why don't you wait here? I'm going to go herd those three back in this direction," she said, and I nodded before she ran off calling their names.

I knew my aunt's words were meant to be encouraging, but I was left with even more concerns than before. Where would Ikuto and I be in a years' time? Or two? He was practically an adult so I was sure he could effortlessly find someone closer to his age and leave me behind, no matter what he had promised in the past. And what about me? I didn't know close to anything about love, so what if this feeling was something I could have for other people? It seemed impossible, but how could I know for sure? A dozen doubts raced through my mind and I felt like I might suffocate on all these uncertainties.

"Are you okay, Amu-chan?" Ran asked me with a concerned expression.

I kept my gaze fixed on the ground. "Let's head back home, I'm sure the rest of them will catch up," I said flatly and began walking back to the house.

We all met back at home a little while later, my mom having already ordered food and set up spots around the living room for a TV dinner night. We hung out there for a long few hours as I tried to keep all the apprehensive thoughts bouncing around my head at bay before eventually turning in for the night. I laid in bed, Ami snoring quietly beside me, with my eyes fixed on the ceiling as Akemi's words echoed in my head. All this time I had been worrying about the future with Ikuto, but what about a future without him? Was that not just as plausible? I hated to even consider it because it made my heart sink to my stomach, but how was I supposed to know? How many people my age had once been in love with someone that they left in their past after growing up?

"Stop worrying so much, Amu-chan," a small voice whispered in the dimly lit room, disrupting my thoughts. I shifted my gaze and saw Dia sleepily watching me from her egg. "The future is filled with uncertainties, good and bad, but if you spend too much time dwelling on them, you'll miss out on the present," she reminded me, somehow knowing exactly what was on my mind.

I curled up on my side, wrapping my blanket tightly around me. "Yeah, I know," I replied in a whisper.

She smiled sympathetically. "Try to get some sleep, you'll feel better if you give your mind a rest," she encouraged before retreating back into her shell.

I was still uneasy, a feeling I was growing unusually familiar with, but I forced my eyes shut and counted backwards from one hundred a few times to occupy my mind before I finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Okay I just want to say thank you for your patience, the end of 2017 was rough for me and I found it impossible to sit down and write. But you should know that I'll never drop this story and I'm committed to finishing it 100%! Your comments and love for this pairing keep me going ❤

Also sorry for any grammatical errors/weird sentence structure/fast paced that is likely in this chapter. I really wanted to get it out and even though I've read it like three times I've gone back and made quite a few additions and may have missed something.

See you soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello! Sorry this took a bit longer than I intended, but sooner than last time! I appreciate the positive feedback I received on the last chapter, y'all are too kind to me :')

I woke up in the late morning not feeling rested at all. Even though I had slept through the night, it felt like my mind had continued to agonize the entire time. My thoughts threatened to drift back to last night's worries, but I had to do my best to push them away knowing I'd be spending most of the day with my family and this wasn't a topic I particularly wanted to bring up with any of them, at the risk of getting more distressing, though well-intended guidance.

We spent the first half of the day lounging around at the house because Akemi said we had big plans for the evening.

"What exactly does 'big plans' entail?" I asked her at around four o'clock, the dullness of the day starting to wear on for a bit too long.

Akemi was playing a card game with my mom and their husbands while I was watching Hana and Ami playing with Prince on the living room floor. "Well, I wanted to surprise you all but I suppose I can spoil it a bit early," she said, setting her cards onto the table and walking over to a dresser by the door that was covered in papers. She sifted through them until she found what she was looking for. Then, she walked over to where I was and handed me a pamphlet. I took it from her and read over the cover.

"Sapporo has a summer festival?" I asked, unfolding the glossy paper and revealing half a dozen pictures with all sorts of colorful lights, stands, and amusements.

"Yep! We have a celebration for just about every season. Although I think our autumn festival has the best weather, our summer one is the most fun because of all the people who come from out of town to attend," she explained.

I nodded, turning the paper over and examining the back. I noted the last day of the celebration was todays date. "Is there going to be a lot going on even though it's the last day?" I asked. I assumed most of the event would have shut down by now.

"Always. We locals go hard until the very end when it comes to our festivals," she said with a wink.

I folded the paper up and returned it to her. "It looks like fun, when are we leaving?" I had been struggling to stay out of my head, and a busy festival seemed like a sure-fire way to keep myself distracted, so I was eager to leave.

"Hmm, well it doesn't start to get busy until after five and it takes about thirty minutes to walk there, so we can probably head out a quarter after," Akemi said. "So, if you wanted to start getting ready to go, now would probably be a good time."

I acknowledged her and stood, deciding I'd go change my clothes and fix my hair for a night out.

"Ami, Hana, why don't you two try and find something exciting to wear for tonight while we finish this game, hm?" My mom addressed the two of them and they excitedly ran off to Hana's room and I was sure they'd make a disaster of it trying to go through all her clothes.

I cycled through a few different outfits that I had brought before settling on a pair of shorts and black tank top with some tennis shoes to match.

"Shouldn't you wear something more extravagant for a festival?" Miki commented, picking up a more elaborate top as a suggestion.

I shrugged, looking over my outfit in the full-length mirror again. "I'm not feeling too extravagant tonight, I guess" I explained flatly.

Miki looked both saddened and annoyed by my unenthusiastic demeanor, but I disregarded her. It was difficult to be excited about going out when I had so much on my mind.

"Come on, Amu-chan!" Suu shouted after a few moments of silence. I turned to her, surprised by her sudden outburst. "You need to enjoy your time out here to the fullest! Leave your worries in Tokyo, they'll be there for you when you get back. You never know when you'll come out here next, so you should try to make the most of it," she scolded as fiercely as she was capable of. I stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"You guys never let me wallow in my worries," I accused before stripping my shirt off and gesturing for Miki to hand me the one she had picked up, to which she happily flew over and gave to me.

"You should wear this skirt instead!" Ran added, throwing another article of clothing my way.

"With these socks," Dia floated close and dropped them by my feet.

"And these shoes would match much better with those," Miki returned with a pair of boots.

"Okay! I'll put these on, but no more," I snapped lightly, gathering all the had given me and going into the bathroom to finish changing. I tied my hair up in a high ponytail and decided that this outfit looked much better than my previous one, so I was thankful for them pushing me a bit.

"Alright, is this good enough for you all?" I asked upon returning to my room, and the four of them gave their approval.

We all went out to the living room and everyone else looked just about ready to leave.

"Oh Amu-chan, you've always been so stylish," Akemi fawned over me. "You could probably give Hana and your sister a few pointers," she said with a light laugh. I looked over at them and the clothing they had chosen was a bit… uncoordinated. But they looked happy enough wearing them, so I supposed everyone had elected to let them dress how they wanted.

"But that's okay! Are we all ready to leave?" Akemi asked, and everyone but my dad and Mateo nodded in agreement.

"Are you two not coming?" I asked.

"No, someone has to stay home with this furry demon, and Tsumugu offered to keep me company," Mateo explained, patting prince on the head.

I nodded in understanding. The two of them waved us off and then we left for the festival.

It took us a little more than half an hour to walk to the celebration, since Hana and Ami always seemed to walk slower when we actually had somewhere to be, but we could hear the festival before we saw it. As we passed a few more block, people, booths, and entertainers slowly began to crop up until we got to the main square where it was absolutely packed with all three. The sights, people, and sounds made my face light up with excitement.

"This is amazing," Ran said with stars in her eyes, and I nodded in wordless agreement as I took in everything.

"Isn't it incredible?" Akemi commented, noting my admiration.

"I never knew you guys brought in so many people with an event like this," I said.

"Yep, we are quite the tourist trap during these times of year," she said with delight.

"Look at all the snacks!" Ami cheered, pointing to various dessert stands ahead of us.

"Snacks?!" My charas said in notable unison.

My mom laughed. "Why don't you two go pick some things out? Just make sure to stay in our sights," she told Ami and Hana and they were off to hunt down the best treats the fair had to offer, which would likely be all of them. My charas went chasing right after them, unable to contain their excitement. I was relieved my mom and Akemi were here to fund their endless appetites for sweets so that I didn't have to.

After the five of them returned with an outrageous amount of festival food, we began to walk around the grounds and took in all the festival had to offer. There were jewelry makers and knick knack sellers and artists all around. I wished we could have stopped and look at all of them, but even after meandering around for well over an hour, it felt like we hadn't covered hardly half of what the festival had to show. Eventually we stumbled upon a long row of bouncy castles and overpriced games and Ami and Hana came to a screeching halt. The two of them looked at their mothers with pleading eyes that were answered with accepting nods and the two were off in a flash.

"Amu-chan, can we go, too?" Ran asked with anticipation bubbling in her voice. The four of them looked like they were using every ounce of willpower they had to not fly off as quickly as they could.

"Someone has to make sure those two don't get into too much trouble," I explained, and they gleefully sped after them. My mom, Akemi, and I found a row of benches to sit at, knowing we'd be in this area for a while, but it wasn't an uninteresting wait. Directly across from us in an open stage was a group of three musicians who were enthusiastically performing for a small but growing crowd. One was beating on an aged set of drums, another was strumming away at a guitar that was covered in dozens of stickers, and the last was compressing an accordion with a delighted expression that was contagious. The young accordion player was dancing all around the crowd that had gathered and making small children and adults giggle all the same. The guitarist, an older man with a scraggly beard was tapping his foot to the beat and watching the accordionists with an endearing smile. The drummer, a lanky person with short cropped hair and feminine features was striking the instruments with a chaotic precision that was hard to turn away from.

"Wow, they sure know how to draw a crowd," my mom commented, equally as enthralled as I was.

"It's pretty impressive," Akemi added, lightly tapping her foot against the concrete in tune with the melody. "We have quite the music scene here, especially during festival season."

"They're amazing," I added, my attention glued to the performers. Watching them made my heart pound. My gaze followed the movements of the young man on the accordion as he weaved through the circle of people, occasionally pausing to give someone an instrumental serenade. He bounced around the outside of the crowd closest to us and as I stared at him, our eyes met for a brief moment and he gave me a swift wink accompanied by a grin before ambling back to where the rest of his company was playing. The fleeting attention made my heart skip elation.

"I think that wink was for you, Amu," Akemi gently nudged me, and I blushed at her accusation.

"P-please, it was at all of us," I asserted, crossing my arms. I turned my attention to some of the people walking by to not seem so absorbed by the music, but it wasn't long before I was watching them again. Their passionate playing made it impossible not to. And listening to them made me excited to see Ikuto and his father play at the street fair back in Tokyo. I always forgot how live music could move you in a way recorded music couldn't quite achieve, and I was sure seeing the two of them play would be just as gripping.

We sat there and listened to the artists play through a few different songs, enjoying a bit of downtime from all the walking we had been doing. After a little while, I saw my aunt checking out the nearby stands from where she sat, and I wondered what she was looking for.

"Aha, I was right," she declared after a few moments of speculation. Both my mom and I gave her a puzzled look and she turned back to us. "I see a fortune teller a few booths down that way," she said, gesturing to the left of the live performers.

My mom laughed. "I forgot you were into that sort of thing," she commented.

Akemi crossed her arms. "Don't try to pretend like you don't watch Nobuko Saeki every morning before work," she chided, but my mom just waved her off.

"I have to wait here on the off chance that Ami and Hana leave their newly claimed castle at any time soon. But you two go ahead," she explained, suggesting that I tag along.

"What do you say, Amu? Wanna go learn about what your future holds?" Akemi asked in an overly dramatic tone.

For the first time all evening I was reminded of the worries that had been plaguing me earlier. I couldn't seem to escape the future no matter how hard I tried to put it from my mind. "Well, we aren't doing anything else," I replied nonchalantly, standing up. Part of me was curious to hear what a fortune teller would have to say about my future, but the other part of me wanted to leave it in the dark.

Despite having mixed feelings about it, I found myself on Akemi's heels as she made her way over to the booth labeled with a banner that read "The Mystical Kioka". We arrived just as the teller's current clients were taking off, so we hardly had to wait a minute before she would see us.

"I'll be with you two shortly," the teller spoke as she reorganized her materials; a deck of cards, various rocks and gems, and a lantern with smoke creeping from the top. It was like she was residing in her own magical world amidst the rest of the fair. I peered around the rest of her tent and saw a stack of old looking books towards the back and I wondered how she carried them all here. There were also tall candelabras placed seemingly without any particular arrangement around the booth. From the top of the tent hung bundles of leaves and flowers that made the area smell delicately sweet. It was hard to believe that just a few stands down those musicians were playing with an entirely different atmosphere.

The teller, who I assumed was named Kioka, shuffled the large purple cards in a mesmerizing motion and then spread them out in a crescent shape before her.

"How are you ladies doing on this exhilarating evening?" She inquired in an enchanting tone that paired well with her surroundings.

"Just wonderful, and yourself?" Akemi replied.

"It's the end of the fair season, and though I'm looking forward to the down time that follows, I'm a little sorrowful knowing I will no longer be seeing so many new faces every evening," she said.

"I'm sure this is a pretty busy time of year for you! I'm a local so I know exactly what you mean," she explained. Then she put a hand on my shoulder. "This is my niece, Hinamori Amu, who is visiting from Tokyo," she drew the attention to me and I gave the fortune teller a small, stiff nod.

The Lady Kioka narrowed in on me and it felt like she was trying to gaze into my mind. I tensed up at her scrutiny and she laughed. "Don't worry, I don't bite," she joked, and I flustered. I hadn't intended to come off as that startled. "So, is it safe to assume the reading is for you then, my dear?" She asked, directed at me.

I looked back at Akemi who simply smiled, and then turned back to the teller, "Um, yes."

"Excellent," she said with a light chuckle. "And what kind of reading were you looking to get done on this night?" She explored further.

That was a very open-ended question. "What kinds are there?" I asked for a start.

The teller interlocked her fingers and looked thoughtfully to her left. "All sorts: future, past, love, finance… whatever else comes to mind, I can ask my cards and they will always have something to say," she explained to me.

I pressed my lips together. I didn't care much to hear about the past since it had already happened, and I wasn't too worried about my finances. Unfortunately, the future and love were a tossup. If my aunt weren't hovering behind me I might have been less reluctant to choose love, but I think I'd have to settle on the future for my dignity's sake.

"Of course," the teller started as I was preparing to make my choice. "Many of these elements tend to fall hand in hand with one or the other," she added, almost as if she could see the conflict on my face.

"W-whatever is fine," I was alarmed at her ability to read me. "Future, I guess," I concluded so as not to seem so indecisive.

The teller merely chuckled again, and I thought I heard Akemi laugh with her, but I didn't turn around to confirm it. "Well then, shall we begin?" She asked, gesturing to the half-circle of cards before her. "Pick four cards. Once you have selected them, you may hand them to me," she explained.

I looked at the curve of cards, not sure where to draw from. If she was reading my future, I wanted to make sure I picked the right cars. I raised a hand over them, hovering over the left side, then the middle, and then back to the left.

"There is no wrong card to pick," she clarified upon noting my hesitation.

I slowly lowered my hand and drew one towards me. "Is there a right one?" I challenged.

She just laughed. "Whichever ones you decide on are the correct ones," she countered.

I squinted at her, wondering what was going on inside that mystical head of hers. I returned my attention back to the cards on the table and drew three more without wavering much. After I had picked the last one the teller elegantly moved the remaining cards to her right, then she held out a hand, wordlessly requesting the cards that I had chosen. I handed them to her and anxiously awaited to hear what they held for me.

She spread the four cards out, face down. "So, with these four cards I'll be giving you a general glimpse into the future," she said, pointing to one on the immediate left. "Then, I'll offer you some advice on how to prepare for what's to come," she regarded the second card. "To go along with those, a positive omen to keep your eyes out for," she gently tapped the third card and then moved to the last one. "And one negative omen to stay aware of," she explained.

I nodded and swallowed. Omen was such a heavy word.

"So," the teller moved back to the first card and flipped it, "this is what your general future looks like."

I scanned the card. It was covered in a dozen foxes, but the bottom of the card read 'five of wands'. I could make nothing from it. "Am I supposed to know what it means?" I asked, never having had my tarot read before.

She gave me an amused grin. "No, that would be my job. And right now, your future looks like it's filled with a bit of strife," she noted as she straightened the card.

"Strife?" I repeated, and she nodded.

"Conflict," she clarified. "It seems like you'll have some struggles to face that may impact your ability to move forward or reach your goals."

I thought that over for a moment. "That doesn't sound very good," I pointed out. I felt like I was constantly dealing with conflict, so maybe it was just another bump in the road.

"Maybe not, but what's more important is how you approach this conflict," she continued, flipping over the next card. This one read 'queen of cups' and had a woman in a blue dress dancing along a path of stones in a river. Upon further inspection, I realized they were actually turtles she was standing on. "The queen of cups is intuitive, calm, and understanding," Kioka placed her hands on either side of the card. "And notice, how she must wait for the turtle to rise up from the depths if she wishes to proceed safely," she explained. "You, too, must learn to be have patience and compassion. In order to prepare for the conflicts to come, you need also be perceptive. Don't jump to conclusions during this time, for it will only cause greater strife," she spoke as if she were able to see words hidden in the art on the cards.

I stared at her, and then the cards, processing what was being said. Was I usually hasty in making decisions? I wasn't sure.

The reader moved on to the third card. "Another thing for you to keep an eye out for is a good omen," she spoke, drawing my attention once again. She turned the card over and revealed one that read 'ten of cups'. On it were two figures intertwined in a moonlit dance in the ocean among a school of fish. "The ten of cups represents happiness, satisfaction, and proper alignment. In your position, I'd read it as a sign that if you feel a sense of completeness or perhaps a sense of the beginning of a new chapter in your life. Or, more literally, you could take an image from the card as an omen. See, there's a moon, yellow fish, a couple, the ocean… Any one of these could be taken as your positive omen. If you feel an attraction to any one of them, chances are that's your omen," she said.

That seemed like a positive outcome, at least. "And the bad omen?" I asked, moving onto the final card. I was more interested in knowing what I needed to watch out for and avoid.

She acknowledged me and then flipped the last card.

"Oh, it's upside down, does that mean something significant?" I asked her. It was difficult for me to tell what it was in reverse, but I saw fire and lightning.

"It is. Reversed cards usually mean the opposite of their standard meaning, or represent a lack of the meaning, and so on," she clarified. She picked the card up and showed it to me right-side up. "The tower: typically meaning destruction, tragedy, loss, confusion, and the like. In short, unwanted to change," she continued, but I felt a 'but' coming. "But, since yours was reversed," she turned the card back to its original position as she spoke, "it represents more along the lines of you fearing change, or the delay of destruction that is necessary for you to grow," she said. "In context to your bad omen, I'd say that you should be aware of if you find yourself resisting a tremendous change in your life, especially if it feels like this change is going to be painful or devastating. Don't fight that change, allow the transformation to occur, because if you don't allow it to pass you will begin to fester in your stagnation," her words seemed too serious for a night at the street fair. "Or," she began again, her tone lightening. "You could look at what is actually on the card again, such as a storm, or maybe a stained-glass window, any number of things," she finished, setting the card back onto the cloth covered table.

I stared at the cardstock pictures laid out in front of me. That was such an ominous thing… what could it mean? What kind of destruction could I possibly have coming towards me? Perhaps it had something to do with starting middle school, although I thought I had come to terms with that change. I tried to fight it, but my thoughts quickly went to assuming it was something relating to Ikuto and I. I supposed I was wavering, in a sense, but that seemed like a unique situation where some hesitation might be called for. Still, the words she used to describe changing were so harsh, it was unsettling.

"Is it safe to assume your silence means my reading was interesting enough?" The teller put a halt to my racing imaginations.

I shook my head a bit to clear my mind. "Ah, it was just a lot more than I was expecting," I explained, not having anticipated something so thought provoking.

The teller nodded as she gathered her cards and replaced them into the deck. "It's quite difficult to predict what the cards will say, even for me," she said, lightly tapping the deck against the table's surface to align them. "These cards tend to have a way of telling their audience how it really is, they don't dance around the subject at hand, so to say," she added.

I gave her a small nod, unsure of how to follow that. Luckily the sound of scattered voices calling my name saved me from having to come up with something. I turned around and saw Ami and Hana running towards me while my charas were in pursuit. My mom brought up the rear a few yards behind them.

"Wow, a fortune teller?" Ami asked with excitement, standing on her tiptoes to peer across the table and up at the lady clad in mystical robes, not at all put off by her esoteric aura.

Miki and the other looked at the enchanting tent with awe, and I watched suspiciously as the teller's eyes almost seemed to focus on the space where the four of them were floating.

"Did you get your future read, Amu-chan?" Miki asked with interest.

"I wanna get my fortune read!" Ami spoke before I could open my mouth.

"Me too!" Hana chimed.

Akemi laughed to my left. "Maybe if you ask nicely, she'd be willing to glimpse into your future, too," Akemi lightly squeezed Ami's shoulders, and she giggled eagerly. The two of them turned to the reader and simultaneously asked for their fortune to be read, and the teller laughed at their enthusiasm.

"I suppose I could muster something up for you little ones," she said, and they exclaimed happily. "But first," she started, reaching underneath the clothed surface she was working on. She pulled her hand out a moment later, her fingers enclosed around something. "Here, for you, Ms. Hinamori," she said, offering out her hand.

I gave her a bewildered look and held out my palm. She unwrapped her fingers and a small, rose colored stone dropped into my hand. "What is it?" I asked, turning the smooth crystal over and examining it further. Ami and Hana were on their tip toes trying to see it, too.

"A rose quartz. I believe it will help you with your future endeavors," she disclosed, once again interlocking her finger together.

I blinked at her, wondering how much she had learned about me from that simple tarot reading. "Oh, thank you, then," I said, taken aback but flattered by her gesture. I held stone in my hand for a moment longer before tucking it safely away into my bag.

"How neat! You must be something special," Akemi clasped her hands together, thrilled by the small token I had received. I flushed gently, averting my gaze and speculating what a rose quartz was supposed to mean.

The reader gave me a final nod that I returned to her before she directed her attention back to my sister and cousin. While they got their readings done with their parents, I found a bench nearby that I sat at and thought about what I had just been told.

"So, what was your reading like?" Dia asked as we waited.

I creased my forehead. "It was weird," I confessed. "She said there was conflict coming up in the near future, and that I had to make sure I was patient and didn't jump the gun," I recapped. "And that I had to allow whatever change that was about to occur to pass, because trying to fight it could result in a negative outcome, or something like that."

I looked at Dia, and she was wearing a pensive expression. She shut her eyes and appeared to be deep in her own thoughts. After a brief time, she opened them again and nodded slowly.

"Yes, the stars do confirm that something is nearing on the horizon," she explained calmly.

I tensed at her words. "Really? What do you see?" I asked, edging to the end of the bench to get closer to her.

She simply shook her head. "I can't see it that clearly, just that there is something to be anticipated," she said.

My other three charas were wearing expressions mixed with worry and wonder, but all I felt was apprehension. I looked to the ground. I wished the tarot reader had been able to tell me more about what was to come.

"But you have to remember, Amu-chan, the stars are always changing," Dia spoke, and I turned my attention back to her. "I wouldn't concern yourself over it until something, if anything, actually happens, if you can help it," she tried to assure me.

I pursed my lips. It seemed like every other day the world was throwing another set of troubles at me, and I was starting to feel incredibly overwhelmed. I had managed to put my doubts from yesterday from my mind for almost the whole night, and now I was dealt this? It didn't seem fair at all. "I just wish I could have one day where I didn't hear something that made me feel like this," I said, dejected.

It took about ten minutes for Ami and Hana to get their fortunes read, and after it was done, the two of them came running over to me to ramble about what their futures held. I caught some bits and pieces of both, but the chaos of two excited kids talking made it impossible to decipher one or the other. That, and I was only half able to focus on the words they were saying when my own thoughts still had so much to say. It also didn't help that Hana let out a huge yawn that swallowed up any remaining coherency.

"Ah, it's getting late," my mom pointed out when she and Akemi joined us. "We should start making our way back home, we still have to walk there," she said to the little ones. Ami tried to protest and tugged on my mom's arms gently, but the tugs of protest quickly turned into her sleepily leaning against her side and the battle was over before it began.

We made our way back down the street, passing all the booths we had seen on our way into the festival. The crowds were beginning to thin and many of the tents were being torn down for the season.

Akemi let out a loud sigh. "I always feel so melancholy when they start closing everything down," she said as we walked, Hana sleepily sitting on her back with her arms draped over her mother's shoulders. "It marks the end of all the summer fun," she complained.

I was walking beside her, fiddling with the quartz in my hand. "Didn't you mention you have a fall festival too? So, you could technically see this as the beginning of that instead of the end of this one," I explained, still slightly distracted by my own thoughts.

Akemi smiled at me. "What a mature point of view, as expected from you, Amu-chan," she complimented. I pursed my lips, never great about taking praise.

"It wasn't until recently you developed that sort of perspective yourself, wasn't it?" Suu pointed out at my right. I blushed, realizing she was referencing the time when Ikuto had surprised me at the collapsing amusement park that was filled with so many memories. I didn't respond to her comment, but thinking back to time like that made my heart feel a little less heavy, which was nice.

Once we exited the main strip the sidewalk narrowed, and I fell a few steps behind my mom and Akemi. They softly made conversation ahead of me so as not to wake the small ones clinging to their backs, and I walked in silence behind them, regressing back to contemplating the strange reading I had gotten and the words Dia had spoken.

But before I got too deep into it though, my phone began to buzz from inside my bag. I pulled it out and my heart skipped when I saw I had an incoming call from Ikuto.

"W-why is he calling me?" I stammered. Now was hardly the time for phone calls, especially with my family within hearing range. I looked up and saw that neither of them had turned back to see what I was doing, so at least there was that. I gawked at my phone.

"Are you going to answer it, Amu-chan?" Suu asked with curiosity.

"Should I?" I questioned frantically. Before I could make the decision myself, Ran intercept my phone and flipped it open, accepting the call. "Ran!" I snapped at her, but all she did was giggle mischievously.

"Hello?" I heard Ikuto's distant voice from the receiver and squeaked, overwhelmed by the sudden contact after being so encompassed in my thoughts. I brought the phone to my ear and glanced ahead of me. I winced when I saw my mom and aunt staring back at me with interest.

"H-hello? Ikuto?" I asked.

He chuckled from the other end. "Who else would it be?"

I flustered, deeply. I was so caught off guard, but I was grateful he wasn't here to mock the color in my cheeks. "I don't know, you never call me, so I was confused," I explained.

"Is that so? Perhaps I'll have to call you more, then," I replied.

He was teasing me, I knew it, but it was hard not to get caught up in his words. I grumbled something incoherent, not knowing how to respond to that entirely. "Why are you calling me?"

"Aw, come on. You could sound a little happier to talk to me," he entreated, but I just huffed at him.

"I'm trying to spend time with my family," I told him, now aware that Akemi and my mom were approaching me just a few yards off. "I can't really talk for very long." I wanted to try and get off the phone before those two could pry into my conversation too much.

"Who are you with right now?" He inquired casually.

"My mom and my aunt," I said. "And Ami and my cousin, but they are asleep," I added.

"Amu-chan, who are you talking to?" Akemi inquired with interest, having reached me.

"It must be Ikuto-kun," my mom guessed, probably by the blush on my face, and I prayed Ikuto hadn't been able to hear her comment.

"Oh my, how did she know?" Ikuto questioned, confirming my fears.

"Oh, Ikuto! Tell him I said hello," Akemi requested, and I felt dizzy at all the different voices trying to talk to me. I turned away from the two of them, wanting to end this phone call as soon as possible.

"Why did you call me?" I demanded again, hoping he had a good reason for causing all this chaos.

"Hmm," he started. "I just wanted to hear your voice," he said nonchalantly, but his words still made me fluster.

"I-idiot, you can't just—

"I'll talk to you later, Amu," he interrupted, and then the dial tone rung in my ears.

I snapped my phone shut, promising I'd get him back for this when I got back to Tokyo.

"That was a short conversation, why was he calling you so late at night?" My mom asked.

I shook my head. "Just to be irritating," I explained, shoving my phone back into my bag.

"You sure are blushing quite a bit for someone who's supposed to be irritated," Akemi pointed out, placing a hand in front of her mouth and giggling.

"It's an irritated blush!" I said defensively, stomping right past the two of the so I didn't have to look at their amused expressions any longer. Although I _was_ irritated that I had to deal with Ikuto's pestering while my family was listening in, it made me immensely happy to hear Ikuto's voice after all the troubles I'd been dwelling on throughout the day. And knowing that he called just to hear my voice made me smile wholeheartedly, even if he did try to play it off coolly.

"Wait up, Amu-chan!" My mom called out, disregarding the groggy child on her back.

"Yeah! I have some more questions for you," Akemi hollered after I had put some distance between us. My shoulders dropped at the thought of trying to talk to them about any of this. They were a devious pair and after this trip I was grateful that Akemi lived so far away, otherwise they could be a dangerous combination.

I felt surprisingly at-ease on our last day in Sapporo, despite the previous day's events. I wasn't sure if that could be attributed to Dia's kind words or the brief exchange I had had with Ikuto, but either way I was grateful to feel so calm. My mom wanted to visit a sweets and tea shop located in Shiroi Koibito Park and I was happy to tag along. Apparently, they sold certain kinds of teas that you could only buy there, and they were pretty famous for it. It was just my mom and I that went out this time, Akemi offering to take on Hana and Ami for a few hours while we were away.

The shop was old fashioned, tall wooden shelves lined with dozens of different teas took up one half of the store while the other half had a variety of chocolates and other sweet treats enclosed in glass containers. My charas flew over to the latter half without hesitation and I had a feeling I'd be dropping quite a bit of money here because of them.

"Amu, would you look at this tea! It has so much color in it," my mom showed me a jar a black tea that was dotted with blues and yellows. "I'll take 400 grams of this one, please," she said to the store clerk. "Oh, and 200 grams of this one!" She grabbed another one off of the shelf and handed them both to him. I watched her peer between two different jars. "I'll also have another 400 grams of this kind," she set down a third jar on the counter.

"Isn't that kind of a lot of tea?" I asked incredulously. We'd hardly been in the shop five minutes.

As I spoke, she examined another jar. "Well, who knows when we'll be back in Sapporo," she explained. "Plus, it's not all for me. I have some coworkers who asked me to bring some specialty mixes for them," she said, adding the container in her hands to the collection accumulating on the counter.

"I guess," I replied. It still seemed like a lot of tea.

I quietly watched her scan a few more shelves, turning around periodically when I heard my charas being particularly loud.

"Why don't you go look at some of the sweets? I'm sure your friends would love it if you brought them some fancy chocolates," she suggested, and I assumed that meant we'd be here for a while. I wandered off over to where my charas were and found them with their faces pressed up against a jar filled with squares of milk chocolate topped with hazelnuts and filled with caramel.

"I'll take it you guys want some of that kind?" I asked, and they all nodded without removing their faces from the surface. I sighed, grabbing a bag and a pair of tongs to pull out a few pieces. Ran tried to snatch a piece before I could even put it into the bag and I had to deftly pivot to keep her away. "You guys can wait until I've at least paid for it!" I snapped, earning a few confused glances. "You can pick one more, but I have to get some for my friends, too," I told them, and they floated to a few different containers, investigating them like they had secrets to unlock.

I looked at a few while they were occupied and picked out some chocolate truffles for Rima, jelly-filled ones for Yaya, toffee chocolate for Kukai, white chocolate for Tadase, malt balls for Nagihiko, and some chocolate with pecans for Kairi.

"Hmm, I suppose I should get some for Utau, too," she wasn't part of the guardian squad, but she was still one of my best friends. For her, I grabbed a few pieces of dark chocolate with sea salt. And then I found myself in a dilemma. My charas came over to me carrying a bag filled plentily with butterscotch candies and I looked to them with conflict on my face.

"Should I get something for Ikuto…?" I asked them, uncertain if it would be weirder for me to get him something or have him be the only person I didn't get anything for.

"I don't see why you shouldn't. He is one of your friends, after all," Ran said with a suspiciously full-sounding mouth.

"Hmm," I pondered. Did he even like chocolate? And if he did, what kind did he like?

"Amu-chan didn't put this much thought into anyone else's gifts," Miki commented under her breath but still loud enough for me to hear.

"I did, too!" I said defensively.

"What are you yelling about, Amu-chan?" My mom surprised me from behind, her arms now burdened by large bags filled with tea.

I laughed awkwardly. "Oh, there are just so many different kinds to choose from, it's almost frustrating to pick only a few," I explained feebly, and it looked like she half bought it.

"Well, it looks like you have quite a few chosen out, is there anyone else you want to get something for?" She asked.

I grumbled quietly. "I'm not sure if, er, what to get Ikuto," I admitted sheepishly. I reluctantly turned to my mom and she looked like she was trying not to appear pleased.

"Well, what kind of chocolate does he like?" She inquired.

I stared at the numerous options before me. "I'm not certain," I conceded. Was that something I should know? I knew that he liked chocolate over vanilla, but besides that I was lost.

"Have you tried asking him?" She challenged frankly.

I blinked. "Asking him what he likes?" I clarified, and she nodded. "No, why would I? Wouldn't that be weird?"

"What's so strange about asking somebody what they like?" She asked.

I opened my mouth to respond, and then closed it. When it was put like that, she almost made it seem like I was overthinking it.

She raised an eyebrow at me and I creased my brow in response. Determined not to make things any more uncomfortable than I had already, I whipped out my phone and sent Ikuto a text that read, "Hey, what kind of chocolate do you like?"

"Well I'm going to go look at more samples while you investigate," my mom said and walked off to another corner of the shop.

I paced between the rows of candy for a few minutes before Ikuto replied. "Hmm, I guess dark chocolate or caramel. Why do you ask?" He wrote.

"No reason, really," I wrote back. I wandered back to the previous aisle and found a jar containing dark chocolate pieces filled with caramel. It was the best of both worlds and I filled a small bag up with them.

"Dark chocolate crossed with caramel is the perfect blend of grown-up and childish candy," Suu pointed, and I could see where she was coming from. It was fitting for Ikuto.

I tied up the bag and put it with the others. I checked my phone to see if Ikuto had said anything in response to my previous message, and he had written, "Oh really? Seems doubtful." I thought about formulating a response but figured it'd be best to leave the conversation open ended.

I met my mom by the cashier and placed all the individual bags on the counter.

"Did you find something good for him?" She asked.

I nodded as I took my wallet out and handed money to the sales clerk. "Yeah, I think so," I told her.

She smiled. "I'm sure he'll be happy you thought of him, people always love receiving considerate gifts," she said, and I kept my attention on the sales clerk as he handed me a bag with all my things. I forgot I still had to go about giving it to him. And I was certain he'd give me a hard time for it no matter if I threw it at him or if I wrapped it up with a bow.

We left the store a few minutes later and returned home in the midafternoon. The eight of us spent the rest of the day hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We had another big dinner outside like we had had on our first night in Sapporo and this time I took a picture of the vibrant sky and sent it to all my friends as well as Ikuto, accompanied with a message that said I was excited to be home tomorrow. Yaya replied first and immediately wanted to make plans to go get ice cream the day following my return, along with Tadase and Rima. Kairi wished me a safe trip home and Nagi said he was looking forward to seeing me. Ikuto said he was excited to see what I got him and I quickly shut him down with, "Who said I got you anything," to which he responded, "You may as well have," that I decidedly ignored.

When we turned in for the night, my sister and Hana slept on either side of me and Prince curled up around my feet. As cute as it was, I could hardly move and inch and I was eager to be home in my own bed tomorrow. Despite the immobility, I managed to drift off to the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the nighttime shore.

And that's a wrap, wow! I gotta say, I had a lot of fun with this vacation bit, I got to focus on Amu more and come up with some new characters hehe. But remind me to never try and introduce three new characters at once because shit is so hard to write and balance out because I didn't want to ignore side characters (sorry Mateo and Tsumugu lol) but I also didn't want to get too crazy with the descriptions you know? So I did my best and thanks for sticking with it, the story picks up from here ^^

And I want everyone to know that all the chocolates were assigned to the characters with care! Rima: chocolate truffles because she's cute and delicate and fun

Kairi: pecan chocolate because he's sweet and sophisticated

Nagi: malt balls because his looks can be deceiving lol

Tadase: white chocolate because he's a pure & sweet boy

Utau: sea salt dark chocolate 'cause she's bittersweet and salty (but I love her to pieces)

Yaya: jelly filled chocolate because she's sweet but sometimes overwhelming haha

Ikuto: dark chocolate caramel because of his aloof exterior but really he is a sweetie (and is so Soft for Amu hehe)


	10. Chapter 10

Hi everyone! I hope y'all are doing well :) I want to thank you guys for the lovely reviews you left me, honestly some of them almost brought me to tears :') It means so much to me that you love this story as much as I love to write it. I'm incredibly grateful for every single one of you 3

We said our goodbyes to my mother's family the following day after having a final meal together.

"Promise you won't wait as long to come out and see us next time, okay?" Akemi asked my mother as they shared a hug.

"We'll try, but Tsumugu and I have trouble stepping away from our work for long periods of time, you know," she reminded. "You three could always come to Tokyo to see us," my mom suggested.

"Four!" Ami interjected, her arms wrapped tightly around Prince's neck.

My mom left. "Of course, the _four_ of you," she clarified, and I could only imagine the chaos our household would be with so many extra bodies.

"Don't make such a face, Amu-chan! You know you'll miss us," Akemi lightly scolded me, wrapping me in a hug. "Be sure to keep me updated on your life, alright?"

I pulled back, raising an eyebrow at her. "I'm not sure what you mean," I told her, although I assumed she was referring to my increasingly dramatic relationship with Ikuto.

She gently patted me on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If you don't, I'm sure your mother will," she said with a satisfied grin.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Goodbye, Akemi-san," I said in a deadpan tone, but she only laughed. As obnoxious as my Aunt could be, I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss them all.

We left Sapporo mid morning and got back to Tokyo in the early afternoon. Upon returning home, I crashed and slept through most of the day, exhausted after such a busy week. On Tuesday, I woke up mid-day to a string of texts from Yaya who was eager to get together. She was saying we should meet up for ice cream soon but I shot her down, knowing that by the time I left it'd be the hottest part of the day. Instead, I suggested we go out later in the evening. Although she seemed annoyed that she had to wait, she reluctantly agreed.

And so, I lazed around the house to pass the time for once my charas having no complaints about taking the extra time to relax. Around five or so, I took the bus over to an ice cream shop downtown that Yaya had suggested. It was a pleasant little store, tucked in between a flower shop and a crepe place, and I had a feeling I knew why Yaya had wanted to come here especially.

When I entered the store, I saw Yaya already had an ice cream and a crepe in front of her. She would always be predictable in that way.

"Amu-chan! We're over here!" Yaya hollered at me, ignoring the fact that I was already looking in her direction. I was happy to see that Tadase and Rima were with her, as well. I walked over and took a seat at their table.

"Good afternoon, Amu-chan. How are you?" Tadase asked.

I nodded, scooting my chair closer to the table. "I'm good. Tired from my vacation, but it was fun so I can't complain too much," I explained, grabbing a spoon from Yaya's dish and taking a bit of her ice cream which earned me an unamused pout from her.

Tadase nodded. "How was your family? I can't recall you ever visiting before in the time we've known you."

I replaced the spoon in Yaya's dish that she was now heavily guarding. "No, we don't get a chance to go out there a lot. The last time I saw them I just starting elementary school, so it's been a while," I explained. "But they were good! My aunt lacked any sort of personal boundaries and trying to keep Ami and my little cousin under control at the same time was quite a challenge, but it was still fun," I said, smiling as I reminisced. "And they had a dog named Prince! I'm sure you would have loved him," I added.

I saw Tadase's brow twitch at the word 'prince', but he only smiled. "Sounds like it was a long but enjoyable week," he commented, and I nodded.

"Did you get us an souvenirs?" Yaya chimed in eagerly.

"Oh yeah!" I had almost let it slip my mind. I sifted through my purse and pulled out three bags of chocolates, each chosen with care for my friends. "My mom took me to this really fancy sweet store and I got you guys some of their specialty chocolates while I was there," I said, handing each of them their respective bag. "I tried to get you all something different. Hopefully they are kinds that you like."

Tadase and Rima tucked their bags away and thanked me, while Yaya broke hers open without hesitation. A content smile spread across her face after she popped one in her mouth, and I laughed. "So, what have you guys been up to since I've been away?" I asked.

Yaya was still enjoying her candy and Rima had conveniently jammed a bite of ice cream in her mouth, so Tadase spoke first. "Well, I got together with Kukai and Nagihiko over the weekend," he said. "The three of us hung out at Kukai's house intending to play some games, but as I understood it, Kukai made the mistake of ignoring some of his errand duties earlier in the day, so we ended up getting dragged all over the place per his older brother's orders," he laughed halfheartedly at the memory.

"Well that certainly sounds like… an adventure, anyways," I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Adventure is an accurate description," Tadase replied, shaking his head. "I also spent some more time with Ikuto and Utau's family, as I'm sure you could have guessed," he said, and I wasn't surprised. "We went to see Ikuto and his father play at the street fair which was quite remarkable."

I had forgot that was something they were doing, and that I could go see them now that I was back. I wondered when they were playing again. "It sounds like it," I commented fondly. I hoped I'd get a chance to see them soon.

I glanced at Rima who was staring at me with a smug glint in her eyes. I met her amused gaze with an annoyed one. "Rima-chan, what did you do in the last week?" I inquired stiffly, knowing full well that she'd had an eventful last few days.

"Nothing, really," she said, taking a small bite of ice cream.

"What _did_ you do, Rima-chan? I feel like I haven't seen you all week," Yaya pointed out curiously.

"I didn't do anything," she said again, not lifting her eyes from her ice cream. It's a good thing she was stubborn because she couldn't be more suspicious.

"Nagihiko told me you and him when to the park just a few days ago," Tadase interjected, and even though he was wearing an innocent smile, it seemed like it was laced with the intention of outing Rima.

"Oh, really?" I rested my chin in my hands. "What did you two do there?" I asked, as if I couldn't have relayed the story in detail myself.

Rima looked like she had been struck in the back but was trying to stay collected. "We just happen to run into each other, nothing very exciting," she lied while looking directly at me.

I was sure Rima would have loved to throw me under the bus with some comment about Ikuto and I, but I was also sure she knew that I had all the details on her park excursion, so she bit her tongue.

"Ah, man. You guys always seem to run into each other when you're out and about," Yaya sulked. "I've been stuck babysitting my little brother almost all break, and when I'm not watching him, Kairi is trying to get me to meet up with him to talk about Guardian stuff even though I told him I'd refused to discuss it until the school year got closer," she complained.

"I mean, school does start again in less than a month, and I'm sure you two have a lot of planning, what with being down a few seasoned members," Tadase explained.

Yaya grumbled. "Don't remind me," she said, resting her face in her hands. But then her expression lit up. "Oh! But that reminds me, I haven't told you guys yet," she started. "Hikari's egg finally hatched!"

"What?" We all exclaimed, and Yaya nodded.

"Yep, he hatched while we were introducing him to some of the the school staff and summer students."  
"What's his character like?" Tadase inquired, and all of our characters tuned into the conversation with anticipation.

"He's super cute! He's small, with bright gold eyes and brown hair. He's really, really talkative, too. From what I can tell, he's very unlike Hikari in that he's sporadic and easy going. You see, he hatched when Hikari was in one of the classrooms and saw a kid sitting all by himself. It seemed like he wanted to talk to him, but it was like he wasn't really sure how and he looked a little upset about it. Then _poof_ , little Haru appeared and suddenly Hikari was all conversation and sunshine! He was pretty startled by the sudden change, but I think he'll be good for him," Yaya said with a grin, obviously happy to have been the first one to be there when Hikari's

guardian character came into the world.

"Wow, that's awesome," I said. I had been a little worried about Hikari joining the guardians without a character at his age, but I felt a little more at ease knowing he'd have someone close to his heart to watch over him.

"It couldn't be better timing. I hope those two become good friends," Tadase commented.

Yaya nodded. "They are definitely a bit at odds seeing as they are pretty much exact opposites, but I'm sure they'll manage to work things out in time," she said, and then proceeded to tap her chin. "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I was supposed to show Hikari around the royal garden today with Kairi…" she thought allowed

Oh, Yaya. "What time were you supposed to do that at?" I asked her.

She averted her gaze from the group. "I told them I'd meet them at the school at five," she confessed.

"Yaya!" We all shouted at her, and she cowered away from us. It was already ten past five, and she still had to get to the school.

"Fine, fine! I'm going. Jeez... I'm sure Kairi can handle it, I just wanted to spend time with my friends," she whined with false tears in her eyes as she gathered up her stuff.

"You can hang out with us and still follow through with your responsibilities," I explained to her, shaking my head.

Yaya just grumbled at me. "Why am I the only person who has to deal with responsibilities over summer vacation anyways, how lame," she said, reluctantly standing up.

"Actually, my mom is coming to get me right now, if you want her to drop you off at the school," Rima offered.

Yaya quickly dropped back into her chair, slouching in relief. "Ah, thank you Rima-chan, you're a lifesaver," she said. Yaya met my critical gaze and pouted. "And I'll Text Kairi and let him know I'll only be a little bit late instead of a lot," she said, as if it was something to be proud of. "Did you want to come to the school with me, Rima-chan? You could meet Haru," Yaya suggested, although I was assuming she was trying to use Rima as a distraction from work more than anything else.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Rima replied. Her vague response caught my attention.

"Why not?" Yaya complained.

"I have plans."

"Can't you move them back an hour?"

"No."

"Why _not_?" Yaya said again, this time in an even more childish voice.

Rima was looking irritated. "I'm going to the movies and I already have my ticket," she explained.

"Oh? What are you seeing?" Yaya inquired.

"A comedy, obviously," Rima said, as if she'd see nothing else.

"Are you going by yourself?" Yaya asked with growing curiosity.

From the look on Rima's face, that seemed like a question she had been trying to avoid.

"Nagihiko suggested we should go," Rima confessed stiffly after a moment.

Yaya's expression turned smug. "You sure are spending a lot of time together these days," she commented.

Rima glared daggers at her. "I don't have to give you a ride to school, you know," she threatened.

Yaya's face fell and she crossed her arms, silently conceding. Though I was curious to investigate the situation further myself, I knew Rima was merciless when it came to turning the tables on me, so I kept my mouth shut.

Her ride arrived a few minutes later and Tadase and I walked the two of them out of the shop and waved them off. I made a mental note to text Rima later about her movie outing.

"Amu-chan, did you want to walk around for a bit? The weather is nice out right now," Tadase asked after a moment.

I had been cooped up inside the last couple days, and I was sure my charas could use the fresh air after all that time. "Sure, lead the way," I agreed.

The two of us walked down the sidewalk together, making pleasant conversation. A few months ago, this would have been a dream date to me. Now it was just us hanging out as friends, which I enjoyed all the same.

"Have you seen Ikuto since you've been back?" Tadase brought up after we had been walking around for a little while.

"No, I was pretty tired after getting home so I've just been hanging out there," I told him. Although, there had definitely been a part of me that had hoped he would appear on my balcony for an unplanned visit.

"I see, that's understandable," Tadase said. "Though I must say, I'm surprised he didn't visit you himself; he was telling me the other day that he was eager to see you again," he said, and I was caught off guard by his words.

"Did he really say that?" I asked. My charas giggled at my speedy response and I felt my cheeks warm.

"Hmm, well it was more along the lines of 'I'm bored,' but I know Ikuto pretty well so I was able to discern the meaning behind it," he chuckled politely.

So it was a little blown out of proportion. I scratched the back of my head. "He's so weird, I haven't even been gone that long," I tried to laugh off the comment.

Tadase shrugged. "Well, you know how Ikuto can be," he said in an endearing tone, and I nodded. "Did you know that him and his father will be playing at the street fair tonight?" He added after a pause.

My face lit up. "Really? Aruto had told me about it, but I wasn't sure what their schedule was like," I said excitedly.

"They don't have too set of a schedule, but my dad has been keeping me updated on it when he can since he's been going to see them pretty regularly," Tadase explained. "You should go see them play tonight if you're not too tired! Like I was saying earlier, they are amazing to see together. And they draw quite a crowd, so you'll want to get there early."

I smiled at the thought of seeing them play amidst a large collection of people. They were both doing what the loved, together, so I could imagine they'd draw a lot of attention. "I think I'll have to go check them out then," I said, trying to tone down the excitement I was feeling inside. "Did you want to join me?" I asked. There was a point in time where being in the same place with those two would have had me unnerved to no end, but now it seemed like a enjoyable prospect.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I promised my parents I'd be home for dinner," he explained. "I hope you have fun though. You'll have to let me know what you think of them," he said, and I nodded.

He walked with me until we got to a street that lead to his house, and after giving me some basic directions to the fair and where Ikuto and his dad would be, we parted ways and I headed towards the festival.

It was about a twenty minute walk from where I left Tadase. He had tried his best to explain to me where the two of them usually played, but I still found myself pretty lost upon arriving. Most of the fair looked the same and despite the fact that it was only a fraction of the size of the one is Sapporo, I was still uncertain I'd be able to find them without walking in circles for an hour.

"Why don't you just text Ikuto and ask him where he is?" Suu inquired after we had strolled down a few different avenues with no luck.

I could have done that, but… "I kind of, wanted to surprise him," I admitted sheepishly, and the four of them giggled.

"How cute," Suu commented happily.

"Are you going to give him his gift?" Dia inquired.

I pursed my lips. "I want to," I said. But wanting to and actually going through with it were two very different things. I just wasn't sure how to present it to him. When he gave me the charm that now hung on my phone, it has been unexpected for the both of us, which probably made it easier for him in the end. I had no embarrassing parent with me to do the same. "I'm sure I'll figure something out," I determined.

After another ten minutes of walking around without success, I found a fairly empty set of concrete stairs across from a row of booths to sit on while I came up with a gameplan. I figured it was still a little early in the evening and that perhaps they weren't even there yet, which could have attributed to my fruitless search. I decided I'd people watch for a bit before I searched again and at the same time, I kept my ears open for the sound of string instruments.

I watched groups of people big and small pass me by for a while. I peered around at the various booths in the area and they were pretty similar to the ones I had seen in Sapporo; crafts shops with vintage looking wooden pieces, merchants selling stained glass wall decorations and wind chimes, jewelry stands, and lots of snacks.

"Amu-chan, can we get some ice cream?" Ran asked after some time.

"We literally just came from an ice cream shop," I reminded her.

"Yeah, but that place sells mochi," she pointed out, her gaze locked on a stand a few yards down from us.

I sighed at her. "Because that's what I wanted to do, spend more money," I complained, but I stood up, knowing that they would heckle me about it until I caved in annoyance. They cheered as we walked over to the shop and I frowned when I pulled out my wallet and found that it was far flatter than it had been just a few day ago. We hopped into the back of the fairly long line and prepared for a lengthy wait. While we stood there, my ears picked up a familiar sound, although it hadn't been the one I was listening for. I looked around and to my surprise, I spotted what looked like Kukai and Utau from behind at a cheap game stand four booths down. I slipped from my spot in line and my charas protested but grudgingly followed after me anyways. As I approached them, I was certain it was Kukai and Utau because I could hear Utau yelling in annoyance and Kukai laughing at her frustration.

"I'll take it it's not going too well?" I said when I was a few feet behind them.

Kukai turned around and grinned at me. "Hey Hinamori! I wasn't expecting to run into you here," he said.

Utau let out another disgruntled noise and then violently released the water gun she was holding. "Damn it, Amu, you made me waste my last shot," she accused, crossing her arms.

Kukai scoffed. "As if getting that last shot would have helped you at all," he teased, and it earned him a punch in the arm. "Hey! That hurt," Kukai yelped, holding the spot where Utau had hit.

Utau huffed at him and then looked at me. "Are you here to see Ikuto?" She asked bluntly, and I flinched at her abrupted allegation.

"And your dad. I came to watch them play tonight," I retorted.

Utau waved her hand at me. "Yeah, yeah. Have you seen them yet?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, I walked around for a bit earlier but I wasn't able to find them."

"Eh, really? They've been here for almost an hour now. We stopped by to see them just a while ago," Utau said.

"For reals?" My shoulders dropped. I was a little disheartened knowing they had probably been here as long as I had.

"Don't look so bummed Hinamori! I can walk you over to where they are if you don't mind the company," Kukai offered.

I guess Ran begging for ice cream had been a good thing after all. "That'd be really helpful," I replied gratefully.

"Great! Utau, you wanna come with?" Kukai asked.

"No, I have to regain my pride with this game. You two go on ahead," she said, turning back to her game. "But Amu, you better not go and try to steal another one of my men," she added with her back to us. I shook my head, my cheeking turning pink at her comment.

"Ah, jeez, Utau. We'll be right back," Kukai assured, patting her on the head.

We left the stand and I followed Kukai as he lead my down the street, occasionally weaving through the small spaces in between booths.

"When did you get back in town? I thought you were on vacation with your family," Kukai asked as we walked.

"Yeah, I got back the day before yesterday, actually…" I paused, pulling out the gifts I had gotten for him and Utau. "I got you guys some stuff while I was there," I said, handing it to him. "It's nothing big, but it's supposed to be some of the best chocolate in Japan."

"Aw, thanks Hinamori. Which one's which?" He asked, holding up the two bags and inspecting them.

"The toffee one is yours and the sea salt one in is for Utau."

Kukai laughed at that. "Very fitting for her," he said. I smiled, I was glad I wasn't the only one who thought it was a good choice.

I was off by quite a few streets, but I knew we were getting close when the sound of violins drifted to my ears. We turned a corner and Kukai stopped, pointing in the direction of the music.

"They are just at the end of this one," he said. I squinted and thought I could see blue hair in the distance. At the very least I knew was heading in the right direction.

"Thank you, Kukai. Sorry to drag you away from your date," I apologized, but he shook his head.

"Not to worry, I hope yours goes just as well," he said with a wink before waving goodbye.

I was glad that only myself and my charas were there to hear that remark. Moving on, I made my way down the street and was impressed by the crowd Ikuto and Aruto had gathered in the small area where they were playing. I stood at the back of the large circle of people, watching them play from behind the crowd.

"Why don't we go up to the front, Amu-chan?" Suu asked, drifting above the people around me as she scouted for a spot, but I gently scooped her back down to my level.

"I don't want them to see me yet, they are in the middle of playing," I explained.

"They look pretty involved in the music, I'm not sure anything could catch their attention right now," Miki pointed out. "Except for maybe Amu-chan's singing," she said, and the other three giggled. I glared at her, but returned my gaze to Ikuto. She was probably right. They appeared to be in their own symphonic world on that stage.

"They're pretty amazing," I said. They were playing with such passion, and they were so in tune with each other, even as they played different melodies, everything harmonized so flawlessly. It was strange, how different these songs were compared to the ones Ikuto typically played by himself. His were usually so melancholy, and they tugged at your heart in a way that made you feel a little sad. These songs, on the other hand, brought about emotions in the same way, but they were more cheerful and upbeat. I imagined that had to do with his father's presence. I smiled as I listened in secret, letting the music take me wherever it wanted.

They played a few more songs, all with similarly lighthearted overtones, before they took a break. The crowd applauded them generously and then began to dissipate. I swallowed, weaving my way through the thinning sea of bodies and approached them as they were talking with each other as well as some stragglers. I stopped a few feet away from them, my hands behind my back. The chocolates in my bag felt far heavier than they should have.

"You two draw quite a crowd," I spoke, and Ikuto's head perked up at my voice.

"Amu," he said with delighted surprise. "How long have you been here?"

I shrugged. "A little while," I admitted.

"Amu! I'm so thrilled you came out to see us," Aruto greeted happily, intercepting Ikuto. "How was your trip?"

The annoyed look on Ikuto's face made me crack a smile. "It was a lot of fun, but I'm happy to be back," I told Aruto. "My extended family got to be a bit overwhelming at times," I said with a light laugh.

Aruto nodded in understanding. "Coming home is always a nice feeling," he agreed. "Will you be staying for the next round? We can reserve special spot for you right up front," Aruto inquired with a wink. I agreed wordlessly, not yet ready to give Ikuto his gift, especially not with his dad hanging around. Aruto excitedly returned to his spot on the stage, Ikuto glaring at him all the while. He opened his mouth to say something to me, but was once again cut off by his father who was beckoning him over to tune up their instruments for their next performance. His expression fell and he looked ready to throw his violin in his father's direction.

"It's okay, we can catch up after you guys finish playing," I assured him. Although he still appeared irritated, he seemed to accept that he wouldn't get a word in until they concluded their performance.

I stood at the very front of their makeshift stage this time, off to the left so I wasn't directly in the center. I was excited to get the full effect of their music. After tuning up their instruments a bit more and seemingly discussing setlist plans, they began to play. The song was distinctly different from the last few they had performed. It felt adventurous, the notes they were producing were more intense and a bit louder than the previous ones, and they seemed to carry me to a far off place. And they were still just as in their own world as they had been, my presence hadn't changed a thing. The melody once again brought a smile to my face. Ikuto's love for music was so strong, it was almost overcoming. Their talent was quickly recognized once more as an even larger crowd of people had gathered around me, watching on in awe. It was astounding how easily their music moved those who heard it.

After they had finished playing, a few people came up to chat with them, a few girls offering the two of them flowers in appreciation, and I felt a small pang of jealousy.

"Now would be a good time to give him your gift," Ran nudged my shoulder and I shooed her away. I watched Ikuto politely accept the girls tokens before he strode over to me. He held out a free hand.

"Where's my gift?" He asked bluntly.

I felt my face warm. "You just assume I brought you something?" I challenged. His hand remained open, implying that he believed just that. I sighed, rolling my eyes and reaching into my bag to pull out the small package of chocolates. "Here," I said, dropping it into his hands.

"It's so small," he commented, inspecting the bag.

"What were you expecting?!" I demanded.

He shrugged, opening the package and popping one of the chocolates into his mouth.

"Oh, who got you the chocolates?" Aruto asked, investigating as I had hoped he wouldn't. Ikuto silently pointed to me. "How sweet of you," he commented. "Mind if I try one?"

"Not at all," I said. He reached for one but Ikuto quickly shut the bag.

"Nope, these were picked out specially for me," he cut his dad off, who frowned.

"You're going to eat them all yourself?" Aruto questioned.

"Yep," Ikuto replied, then he walked over to me and grabbed my wrist and began to drag me away.

"W-what are you doing?" I demanded, involuntarily following after him.

"Just follow me," he said.

"You say that like I have much of a choice," I replied with annoyance. But I was a little excited to get away from his father for a bit, wherever we were going.

He led me to a photo booth at the end of the street. "Let's take some pictures," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. This seemed so out of nowhere. "Together?" I asked, scrutinizing the small space.

He pouted at my hesitance. "You're not gonna make me take pictures by myself, are you?"

I pursed my lips. "... But it's so cramped," I noted, but I knew I couldn't really say no, and it could be fun. "Fine, but you have to get in first," I compromised, pointing at the booth.

He grinned triumphantly and slid in past the curtain. "Fine, but they have to stay out here," he mirrored, gesturing to my charas.

I flushed. "What? Why?" I asked

"There isn't any room for them in here," he explained. I pressed my lips together, contemplating what exactly was going through that mind of his.

I supposed there wasn't much use in fighting it. "I guess you guys are staying out here," I told them. I was hoping they'd object to that, but instead they just gave me varying levels of smug looks and I questioned what I was getting myself into.

I carefully squeezed in after him. We were so close, but there was no way around it. Photo booths were designed with close quarters in mind, so I just did my best to keep my head on straight in spite of how conscious I was of our legs touching.

"Only one picture, okay?" I asked, not wanting to be in this confined space with him any longer than I had to be. The longer I was in there the more likely something was to go awry.

He tapped the screen. "Our only option is to take four," he pointed out.

"Four?" That was a lot of pictures. "I guess," I mumbled.

"Alright, get ready," he said. I watched the screen count down from three to one and it was only once the camera flashed that I realized I had been stiffly staring at the lens.

"Aw, come on. You could at least pretend to look like you're having fun," he made a sad face at me. I bit my lip. Truthfully, I was having fun despite the crazy pace of it all, but I couldn't help but let my stubborn character take over sometimes.

"Fine, fine, the next one will be better," I assured him, he looked at me skeptically and then clicked the 'okay' button and the counter began to go again. This time I threw up a victory sign and smiled when the camera flashed. When the image appeared on the screen, I looked pretty normal, but this time Ikuto was looking at me and not the camera, his expression reminiscence of the photo we took at the beach a few weeks ago.

"What a basic pose," Ikuto pointed out, and I huffed at him.

"Like you're one to talk; you're not even looking at the camera," I argued, but he just shrugged me off.

"Let's try it again," he replied, tapping the screen.

"What are you doing this time?" I asked, angling towards him a bit. When my temple met a warm pair of lips I froze, and then the camera flashed.

"W-what did you just do?" I stammered, leaning as far away from him as the small space would allow me.

"Aw, look, it's cute," he indicated at the monitor, blowing me off entirely.

"You can't just kiss me!" I snapped at him, holding the side of my head were he had made contact.

"It was only your forehead," he replied with a smirk, casually clicking through the screen prompts.

"It doesn't matter!" I argued. My cheek, my nose, now this? He was running out of first kisses to take.

"Alright, this is the last one. Let's make it count," he disregarded my complaints and started the counter. I watched him closely, but this time all he did was tilt his head towards me while mimicking the same peace sign I had done earlier. The camera flashed before I could decide on a pose myself. Ikuto looked normal while the camera had captured me red-faced and suspicious.

"Geez, this is gonna be a mess of pictures," I sighed, pulling the curtain back and sticking one leg out of the booth.

"Why are you leaving? You don't want to stay in here for longer?" He asked, and my cheeks turned an even darker shade of red.

"No!" I shot back at him, exiting the booth and shutting the curtain behind me, though his laughter followed after me. Why was he being more of a pain than usual? I mused. I went around the side of the booth and found my charas already pouring over the pictures and giggling amongst themselves.

"Give me those!" I snapped, wrenching them from their tiny hands. I looked them over, and they were such a mess, but at the same time, they were very us. It brought a small smile to my face and I was kind of happy to have them.

"So you like them then?" Ikuto had snuck out of the booth without my noticing.

I shoved his copy at him. "No, I was smiling because you look like and idiot," I said, although my tone was anything but insulting.

He just laughed. "Sure, sure," he remarked.

I was a little unnerved, and I couldn't figure out why.

Suddenly, Ikuto grabbed my hand again. "Come on, let's see what other fun things this place has hidden around," he said. And the moment set off flashbacks of that day Ikuto had taken me to the amusement park, right before he told me he was leaving. Those memories brought me to a stand still, staying Ikuto as well. He turned around and gave me a puzzled look.

"Hey, Ikuto…" Was I just imagining things? Maybe I just wasn't used to things being so normal, I didn't have much to compare it to exactly. He raised an eyebrow at me curiously. I decided I was just making things up in my head. "Nevermind, don't worry about it," I told him.

He cocked his head. "What is it? You looked so serious all of the sudden," he noted. "Getting prepared to finally confess your love for me?" He said, likely to earn a response from me.

It worked, of course. "Idiot, I said nevermind," and I stormed passed him. It was always the same with him. And perhaps I was looking into things too much, I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Eventually we returned to where Aruto was holding down the stage. He was on his own now, all previous stragglers having left, and he was rummaging through a large instrument bag with a puzzled expression. When he heard us approaching, he looked up.

"Ikuto," He called him over, "did you pack an extra bow? I can't seem to find it anywhere in this void of a sack."

Ikuto walked over to him and took the bag into his hands, briefly combing through it. "Hmm, I was sure I did…" He thought for a moment. "But then, you did drive us over an enormous pothole on the way over, so it probably fell out in the car," he said, his tone obviously critical of his father's driving.

Aruto made an unamused face. "Well then, did you want to go grab it?" He asked.

"Why can't you?" Ikuto raised a brow.

"Someone has to watch our stuff."

"I can watch it." Aruto simply stared him down, and after a few long moments, Ikuto sighed. "Is this because I insulted your driving?" He asked, setting down the large bag.

Aruto smirked. "Next time I suppose you'll choose your words more carefully, hmm?" He proposed, holding out his car keys. Ikuto shook his head and snagged them.

"Guess I'll be back in a bit," he said to me, and I nodded.

"Take your time!" Aruto replied with a satisfied smile. Ikuto muttered something to him as he walked passed and then disappeared into the crowd. Once he was out of hearing range, I stepped closer to Aruto.

"What did he say just now?" I asked curiously.

He chuckled softly. "Something like 'don't say anything weird to Amu', which makes me wonder what he's worried I'll ask," he explained, looking at me with interest, which made me laugh. They had such a fun dynamic.

According to Aruto, they were parked pretty far from the place they were playing, so we had quite a bit of time to chat. I was worried it might be a little strange with just the two of us, but he was just as talkative tonight as he had been the night we all had dinner together so the conversation came easily.

"So, I have to ask," he started after our last topic had waned. "What exactly is your relationship with my son? He's told me about everything that happened with you two while undergoing the Easter Corporation ordeal, but other than that, he's been quite vague," he asked with an inquisitive look.

I blinked at him. "Huh?" I said, caught off guard by such a question. Especially considering I wasn't sure I had a definite answer for him. "What, makes you ask that?" I replied, trying to buy myself a bit of time.

"Well, it seems like you guys are quite close. He's always going out his way to visit you and get you things. You appear to be on his mind more often than most, which has me wondering…" He trailed off, and I could only envision how he finished that sentence in his mind. Then he just shrugged. "Anyways, you're relationship is a mystery to me, and although I've been out of his life for a long period of time, as a father, I can't help but meddle," he cracked a narrow smile.

Despite his invasive questions, I didn't feel entirely uncomfortable talking about it with him for some reason. "Well…" I began. How was I supposed to explain our relationship when I hardly understood it myself?

"I guess I just never imagined he'd be so taken by someone so much younger than him," he spoke, probably sensing my hesitation. And he had addressed what was likely one of the most complicated aspects about our relationship. My charas were covering their mouths and snickering and I had to resist smacking them. "Although, I supposed four years doesn't seem like so much when you get older, but that's beside the point," he added a moment later.

My face was growing increasingly warmer with ever word he uttered. "We… are just good friends," I explained, and that part was true, but it was only a sliver of detail by comparison to our actual relationship. "And we've been through a lot together, as I'm sure he's already told you. It's difficult to explain, if I'm going to be honest," I told him as best as I could.

Aruto was looking at me expectantly, as if he'd actually found some sense in my poorly strung together answer. "I see! That does sound rather complicated," he replied."Well, I do hope you wait around for him until you get it all sorted out. I can't say much since I've only been back for a little while, but you seem good for him. As much as he'd argue otherwise, he always lights up when you're around," he pointed out, and I blushed at his words. Why was he such a forward person? Somehow more so than Ikuto.

"So, um, anyways, how do you like playing with Ikuto?" I asked, wanting to change the direction of our conversation before he said something else.

Thankfully he went with it. "I'm truly enjoying it. Ikuto has such a natural attunement for the violin, being able to see how talented he's become is quite the honor as both a father and a fellow violinist. I'd even go as far to say that he's more accomplished at the violin at his age than I was, but don't tell him I said that," he brought a finger to his lips.

I smiled. "He really has a knack for it," I replied. "How is it being home? You were away for quite a while," I asked, curious to learn more about his character.

"Yes, sad to say… But I'm overjoyed to be with my family again after being apart from them for so long. Although Souka and I continued to stay in contact in secret even after my departure, I was worried my arrival would be met with some hostility. So, it was a relief to be welcomed home with open arms. I really don't deserve their devotion, to be frank," he said. I was surprised to hear that he had been communicating with Souka all this time. I had been under the impression that he went completely off the radar, but perhaps that was just the story she had told to keep Easter from finding him.

"Though, truth be told, I'm already growing restless," Aruto added after a brief moment.

My eyes widened at his remark. "Really?" I asked incredulously, and he simply nodded. He'd hardly been back two months, I couldn't believe it. I supposed he was truly a free spirited individual. "Do you have any plans to travel again soon?" I asked.

"Yes, actually. I'm in the process of working a few things out in the coming weeks," he said.

My mouth fell open a bit. Wouldn't his family be devastated to learn that their husband, their father, was leaving again so soon when he had only just returned? I peered around the street in either direction, searching for any sign of Ikuto. When I didn't see him, I turned my attention back to Aruto. "How did everyone take it? Knowing you'll be leaving again soon?" I asked him.

Aruto pursed his lips. "Oh, Souka was saddened, of course, but she knows that I'm following my path in life to open the hearts of others with my music, so she supports me. And I told her this time I'd fly her out to visit me periodically, so it won't be so bad," he said with a wink. "And Utau… well, you know her. Stubborn as can be. She said she'd be so busy with work that she'd hardly notice I was gone," he laughed lightheartedly. It certainly sounded like something she'd say. "I promised her we'd collaborate on a project when she wasn't so occupied with her current undertaking, which she seemed excited about," he explained.

When he didn't continue, I urged to him to go on. "And Ikuto? How did he take it?" I was sure the news would have crushed him. With the harmony those two had, it was shame they only played together for such a brief period.

Aruto cocked his head at me. "Actually, Ikuto was planning on joining me when I go abroad," he disclosed.

I knew I had heard his words correctly, but it was like my mind didn't, or perhaps couldn't, process them. "What?" I asked.

Aruto furrowed his brow. "Did he not mention that to you?"

My mouth suddenly felt too dry and my throat tightened as his words began to sink in even as I tried to push them away. "I, I guess he hadn't gotten a chance to bring it up to me yet," I said, avoiding Aruto's gaze. I had been out of town. Maybe it was a recent decision, but then it'd have to be a little far off in the future at least. "When are you guys leaving?" I asked, trying to hold onto whatever thread of hope I could cling to.

Aruto shifted on his feet, his appearance not reassuring me at all. "Most likely by the end of this coming week," he explained with some hesitance. "My apologies, Amu. I believe I may have stepped on some toes in telling you that," he said regrettably.

I kept my eyes on the ground. "I see," I murmured. I took in an unsteady breath and shook my head. "No, it's alright. I'm sure he had a reason for it," I replied. I looked up at him, forcing myself to put on an expression that wasn't as grief-stricken as I actually felt. "But, I should probably get going. It's getting late, and I'm not sure how much longer Ikuto is going to be, so," I gave him a small bow. "Thank you for tonight, I really did have a great time," I said without making eye contact with him again. I quickly turned around afterwards, ready to dash off into the night before my emotions got the better of me. When I looked up to scout a path out and away from the fair, my gaze met Ikuto's just a few feet away. His expression instantly dropped when he saw the dejection on my face.

"Amu?" He said with concern. Even though every part of me wanted to bolt passed him, I tried my best to keep my composure, or the little I had left.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. Something came up. Thank you for tonight," I said before I walked by him, keeping my attention fixed on the slowly blurring street below me.

Oh boy here we go! I hope you enjoyed the chapter hehe. I've been very much looking forward to this point in the story. Sorry I still suck at indicating the passage of time lol.

Has anyone here watched Yuri On Ice? I just realized while I was writing Aruto that I think he'd be a little bit like Viktor; super cool from a distance but is actually a cute nerd ^^

Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

I'm back! I'm very sorry for the long wait, I had a cosplay I was working on that was taking up most of my time the last few months. And I've gotten to that point in the story where I'm still deciding how I was to get from point A to point B to point Z, which is not always easy lol. But I'm gonna try my best to post a little more frequently now that my time is freed up a bit!

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The bus station was a fifteen minute walk from the street fair, and I had spent the entire journey with tears streaming down my face under the sympathetic gaze of my charas and passing strangers alike. It felt like ages before the bus pulled up to the stop and I stumbled to the doors in a haze. When I found my way to my seat I kept my gaze fixed on the window beside me, my eyes barely focusing on the surroundings that flashed by.

It wasn't fair that this was happening again. Not now after things were finally starting to make some sense, when all of our struggles were in the past. I felt absolutely devastated. And mixed in with that, I was angry. I couldn't believe I had to found out from Aruto _by accident_ that Ikuto was leaving again, and so soon… The realization brought on another wave of sadness.

What would happen now? Last time Ikuto left like this, I didn't see him again until the day he left, and as upset as I was, I didn't want to do that again. And what was going to happen with us? Would everything just be placed on pause like last time? I hardly heard from him when he was gone on his previous trip. I supposed he had been looking for his dad then so he'd been preoccupied, but what if he still went off the radar this time around? I wasn't sure how I would handle that again given how much had changed since then. It felt like something was tearing a hole in my chest.

"Ugh," I groaned, putting my face in my hands. I didn't know what to do or think and I wished I could just pause the world for a few days to process everything. There simply wasn't enough time for all of this to set in when it felt so unreal. Even though I hadn't had any set plans or ideas of where things would go for Ikuto and I in the coming months, this definitely hadn't been one of the routes I expected things to go. I gripped the seat in front of my tightly, as if that would somehow keep me from falling apart.

Then there was a light pressure on my head. "It'll be okay, Amu-chan. You have time to think this over and work through all that you're feeling," Dia spoke softly, and her sympathy made my eyes begin to prickle again. It sure didn't feel like I had time considering just an hour ago I was certain we had all the time in the world. But I felt the tension in my body relax the smallest amount at her words.

"I just thought everything was done changing for a little while," I confessed in a small voice.

Ten minutes later I got off at the stop nearest my house and slowly made my way home. I was going to have to summon the toughest mask when I faced my parents to tell them how fun the show was, although I was certain my mom would still find a way to see right through it.

"Amu-chan, you're getting a lot of texts," Suu said. I turned my head and saw her pulling my phone from my bag. I wiped my eyes with the balls of my palms and took my phone from her. I wasn't surprised to see the messages, and two missed calls, were all from Ikuto. Even though the childish part of me wanted to ignore him and let him worry, I stopped walking and opened them.

 _Amu, where did you go?_

 _We should talk._

 _I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to find out like that._

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see him, even though I knew he was the only person who could make me feel better right now. Otherwise I'd just spend the entire night moping around.

 _What is there to talk about?_ I wrote, beginning to walk again.

He replied hardly a minute later. _A lot. Things we probably should have talked about a while ago. Are you getting home soon?_

I swallowed thickly. Idiot, of course he should have told me about it earlier. He made me wait, so now I was going to make him do the same. _Yeah, well I'm not sure tonight is a good idea_. I replied. I was almost home and I wanted to sit in my room alone despite knowing it probably wasn't the best thing to do right now.

 _Please, Amu. I'm already outside._ I read his reply as I was approaching the front gate and stopped. I turned around and my heart leapt and sank simultaneously when I saw Ikuto lurking in the moon cast shadow of a nearby tree.

He walked forward a few paces. "I'll leave if you really don't want to talk to me, but I hope you'll hear me out," he said. I stared at him wordlessly. He was so hesitant in the way he spoke but I couldn't hide the dejection that spread across my face. As much as it hurt to see him, I didn't have the heart to go inside without giving him a chance to talk. Not when he was standing a few feet away from me. I hugged my arms around me tightly.

I exhaled slowly. "Fine," I said in a small voice.

Relief flashed across his face for a moment but then quickly reverted to an unreadable expression. "Come take a walk with me?" He asked, gesturing down the street.

I walked towards him, avoiding his eyes. "Lead the way." I was trying my best to keep a cool composure. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of him, as inevitable as I knew it was.

We walked in silence for a few minutes. Ikuto was obviously deep in thought, or struggling to find the right words to say, which was a first. I was determined not to begin the conversation, since it was his actions, well, lack of them, that brought us here. This was all on him.

"I should have told you sooner," he broke the tension between us. "I wasn't sure how to, after last time. I didn't know how to tell you without hurting you, which was that last thing I wanted to do knowing how much leaving would do that already," he continued.

I could sympathize with where he was coming from, but that didn't make his words hurt any less. "Well finding out from your dad didn't exactly feel any better for future reference," I replied, wincing internally at the acidity in my tone. I didn't look at Ikuto to see his reaction, but from my peripheral I saw his shoulders stiffen slightly.

"I know," he sighed. "It wasn't fair of me to put you in a position to find out like that," he said, his voice heavy with remorse. It seemed like he was almost as upset about the entire situation as I was.

He was right though, it wasn't, and I stopped walking. "When were you going to tell me?" I asked, finally turning to face him. "You're leaving in a week, right? How much longer were you planning on putting it off?" I pressed.

He searched my face, looking taken aback by my rising anger. "I was… still working up to it," he admitted carefully.

My heart pounded against my chest. I couldn't believe him. "Ikuto, that's so selfish!" I lashed out, unable to contain my frustration any longer.

"Amu I–"

"Were you just going to wait until the day you left?" I demanded, the sting of tears beginning to threaten my eyes.

"Of course not," he said. "I just wasn't sure– something like this... I was going to tell you that night at my house, but with my parents and your mom there, and you were getting ready to visit your family, I couldn't bring myself to drop that on you."

There was some reason to his thinking, but it's not like he hadn't had any opportunities since then to tell me. "You think this is better?" I challenged. "This isn't something you can keep from people, Ikuto! Especially people who are supposed to be important to you! Especially when we've already been in this situation before!" Dejected and frustrated tears spilled as I spoke. "I get that you were in a complicated spot, but you should know better than to hide something as important as this," I clenched my fists at my sides. "I know that I'm still just–" I stopped, too choked up to continued. Maybe it was because I was still a kid and he didn't take me as seriously as I thought he did. Or he thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it well, but who would in a position like this?

I took a few moments to breath. "I wish you would have trusted me enough to tell me when you first found out," I told him, turning away. My body was trembling with anger and poorly choked back tears. Was that why I was so upset? Not that he was leaving, but because he hadn't trusted me enough to tell me about it? I was too hurt to figure it out.

I felt Ikuto place a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to jerk away from him, but I couldn't bring myself to knowing that in a few days time he would be gone.

When I didn't reject him, he pulled me into a hug. "It's because you're important that it made it even harder to tell you, but I know that's still not an excuse to have kept it from you," he said into the top of my hair. "I can't apologize enough for this, Amu. I should have told you the moment I found out about it."

I took in a shaky breath at his words. "You should have," I said. Though it was meant to be comforting, his embrace somehow made me feel worse. I couldn't bring myself to hug him back, but I leaned into his chest, wishing that a different situation had brought us to such a moment.

We stood there like that in the dark street for a few minutes while I attempted to collect myself. Once I was sure the worst of the tears had past, I sighed. "I want to go home," I told him in a low voice.

"Okay," he replied with equal softness, releasing me from his arms.

We walked back in a strained silence. I guessed he'd either said all he needed to say or he didn't want to overwhelm me with all the things he still had bottled up. I kept my gaze on the ground, unable to look at him at the risk of breaking down again. I was feeling too many emotions; anger, sorrow, betrayal, to even attempt to come up with anything to say. I knew I'd end up hurting him, myself, or both of us if I let those feelings try to speak for me.

We arrived outside my house once more several minutes later. We stood opposite of each other without saying a word. I was waiting to see if he'd say something else, and I supposed he was expecting the same of me. When neither of us spoke, I decided things were going to be left as they were until a later time. I looked up at him and when he met my gaze, his expression was struck with grief. But I couldn't console him right now.

"I'll see you later, Ikuto," was all I said before starting up the steps to my house. He didn't say anything in response and I heard him walk back down the street we had just come from. Despite myself, I glanced back briefly at him and watched him go, only returning my attention back to unlocking the door when I saw him begin to turn around to look in my direction.

Luck must have been on my side or the universe was pitying me, because my parents were both in their room when I got home, so I was able to sneak into my own without any interruptions. I collapsed onto my bed. It brought me physical relief, but the emotional strain still weighed so heavy on me I felt like I might sink through my mattress and onto the floor. I couldn't believe how quickly everything had changed in the span of just a few short hours.

"I thought things were finally starting to go in the right direction for us," I confessed aloud. Even though I knew there would never really be anything between until further down the road, it felt like we had been taking small steps that way up until now.

"Maybe this is the best direction to be heading in right now," Dia said. I idly turned my head to look at her, curiosity in my gaze.

"It's possible that the two of you need spend time away from each other and grow before you can be together as your best selves," she explained. It sounded like something Dia would say to reassure me on matters that were out of my control, but I'm sure there was some truth to her words.

"That doesn't make it hurt any less," I mumbled, my chest tightening as I thought about not seeing Ikuto again for a long time.

Dia floated gently onto my shoulder. "Sometimes things have to hurt before they can get better, that's how you grow. You should feel your pain to the fullest, acknowledge it and why you are feeling that way, and then you can start to heal," she said, ever her wise and positive self.

Well, I certainly was feeling it. I was hurting even more than the first time he left since things had been going so well. But as recalled his previous departure, I remembered how I had run off and avoided him before he could explain himself, while this time I had, albeit reluctantly, chosen to hear him out when all I wanted to do was run. That had to be a sign of growth right? I thought it was. It gave me something to hold on to, anyways.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and disrupted my thoughts. I pulled it out and I had a text from Utau.

 _Hey, what happened between you and Ikuto?_ She wrote. I guess that meant Ikuto had gotten home safely.

 _Nothing in particular,_ I wrote back, knowing full well she'd ask for an elaboration.

 _Then why is he so upset?_ She asked.

 _Why don't you ask him yourself?_

 _He's holed up in his room, and he wont talk to me… Is it because he told you he was leaving?_

I huffed at that. Imagine if that hadn't been it. _It's more of because he didn't tell me he was. Your dad let it slip out._

 _I see. I'm sorry. You know it was only because he didn't want to hurt you._ She wrote in his defense.

 _Like I am right now? I'd rather have him be forward than keep secrets. That hurts more._ I replied.

 _Fair enough. Well, I hope you two figure things out before he leaves. I'd hate for things to be left like this._

I thought about that for a moment. I could just write 'me too,' but even with all the distress I was feeling, I was sure that both of them could use some reassurance. _I'm sure we will. I'll talk to you later._

I tossed my phone away, tired of talking about it. I didn't want things to be left like this either, but it was hard imagine how this was going to be resolved so easily.

"Don't worry Amu-chan, everything will work out in the end!" Ran said cheerfully.

I furrowed my brow at her. "How do you know?" I asked.

She gave me a big smile. "Because that's the kind of person Amu-chan is! She never gives up on anyone and doesn't stay mad for very long," she winked and stuck her tongue out at me.

Her comment made the corners of my mouth twitch upwards for a second. Unfortunately, she was right. If I had more time to be upset, I might have wallowed in it for a while, but the clock was ticking and I didn't want to end up feeling regretful at the end of all this. But even with that in mind, I had no idea how to fix what had happened. I felt like I shouldn't have to be the one to have to fix it since most of this could have been avoided if Ikuto had just talked to me earlier in the first place.

"How am I even supposed to talk to him after this?" I asked. I felt like anything we said to each other at this point would be laced with remorse or anger.

"Just send him a text and tell him you want to talk more! I'm sure he still has just as much to say as you do," Suu said.

"But maybe wait a day or two, so you can both have some time to think things over," Miki added.

I nodded slowly. Tomorrow was probably too soon. Definitely too soon, I concluded. But maybe I'd send him a message asking if he wanted to meet up and talk things over the following day. I was sure that by the end of the day tomorrow we would both be anxious to discuss everything.

"Amu-chan, you have to remember that at heart, Ikuto is still just a kid, too, even if he's a little older. I'm sure he's just as upset as you are right now. Try to picture yourself in his shoes," Suu said. I thought about for a long moment. If I was the one leaving instead of him… I supposed I would also be reluctant to tell him, because I'm sure he'd be devastated to hear that kind of news. In theory I felt like I would have tried to give him a warning earlier down the road, but I couldn't be sure.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," I said, rolling over to sleep even though I knew it would not come easily.

I spent the next day feeling incredibly distracted as I waited for the time to pass. Texting Ikuto in the morning seemed too eager, so I promised myself I'd wait until at least the later afternoon before I contacted him. Trying to keep myself occupied until then was proving to be a challenge. Hiding the fact that something was wrong from my mom even more so.

"Is everything alright, Amu-chan? You've seemed lost in thought all day," my mom had asked after lunch. She was reading at the dining room table when I had come downstairs for some water.

I hesitated as I grabbed a glass. I was always torn between hiding what was wrong and asking for her advice. I decided her input could be helpful even if it wouldn't be a fun conversation to have. "Yesterday I found out that Ikuto would be going abroad again at the end of the week," I told her.

She looked shocked by the news. "Really? That seems sudden."

I shut the refrigerator with unnecessary force. "Yeah, well, he kind of waited until the last minute to tell me. Actually, his dad told me. On accident," I explained. It would be better if she knew all the details of the situation.

Her eyes widened. "Is that so?"

I nodded solemnly.

She tilted her head, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry Amu-chan. That must have been difficult news to hear, especially like that. Are you two okay?"

I set my glass down and shrugged. "I don't know. We kind of had a fight last night. I was really angry then, but it's hard to stay mad when I know he's going to be leaving so soon I guess. I was thinking about seeing him tomorrow so we could try to talk things over," I told her.

My mom nodded. "I think that would be a good idea. It'd be terrible if he left and you two weren't on good terms," she said. "Did you want me to talk to him or his parents? I could give them the old 'you hurt my daughter and I'll make your life hell' spiel," she said, her tone humerus, which I think she did deliberately to try and cheer me up.

"No, you don't have to do that, but thank you," I shot her down. "I think… He was just in difficult position. I mean, if the roles were reversed, I'd definitely be reluctant to bring it up, so I'm trying to keep that in mind," I explained.

My mom smiled. "That's very mature of you to think like that," she commented.

I blushed. "Well, it's not like I haven't been in this situation before," I replied, and she giggled.

"I'm glad you're approaching it like this regardless. I'm sure you two will work it out. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and all that," she said with a wink.

I felt myself redden more. "Mama, please!"

She laughed more at my response. "I'm sorry honey," she said, covering her grin. "So you're going to see him tomorrow then? Let me know how things go okay? I appreciate you being so honest with me about what's happening in your life. It's refreshing after how you usually try to keep me out of it," she said with sincerity.

I pursed my lips. "You seem to have good advice for this sort of thing, so…" I trailed off.

"I do what I can," she replied before letting me return to my room.

I sat in my room, slowly watching the hours drag by. I cleaned my room, organized my shelves and my closest, and tried to fill my time with anything that would make it go by faster. Once I did all I could, tried to figure out what I was going to say to Ikuto. This was so troublesome. I wasn't sure if I should send him an essay about what happened and what I had thought about since then, or if I should just tell him we needed to talk or if I should act like things were okay or remain distant. There were too many factors to consider and I was left with a dozen drafts on my phone and no idea what to do. This was all getting far too real for me too handle. I cared deeply for Ikuto and being with him felt so natural now, but even with that in mind I still didn't think I was prepared for something as serious as this.

I recalled the night when Ikuto had walked me home a few weeks ago. After we had both learned that Tadase was content to let me go.

" _You'll tell me when you're ready,"_ Ikuto had said. In the moment I was taken aback by his words, but thinking about it now, I was fairly certain I understood what he had been trying to say. Now that I wasn't torn between two people who had feelings for me, would I be able to confess to the one I truly cared for? Even if I did have feelings for Ikuto… I still didn't feel I was ready to really do anything with them. As much as I wanted to be ready, I wasn't. Age aside, I was still struggling to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be, and trying to determine my relationship with him on top of that was simply too much to handle.

I sighed in frustration. I wished I had more time to work this out. I mean, technically I did have plenty of time, but there was some part of me that wanted to make some aspect of it clear before he left, even if it was only somewhat of a verbal confirmation. I grabbed my phone again, starting a new message for what felt like the twentieth time.

 _Hey, if you're free tomorrow or the day after we should probably talk or something,_ I wrote, sending it before I could think about it for too long and change my mind. _If you want, anyways._ I added after a few seconds. It wasn't perfect, but it got the message across at least.

Ikuto replied shortly after. _Sure, did you have anything in mind?_ He asked. Hearing from him made me feel more relieved than I should have felt.

 _Nope, you can pick,_ I replied. I wasn't sure what to plan beyond talking things out, so I decided I'd leave the planning to him.

A minute later he said, _Are you sure you want to give me that kind of freedom?_ The lightness in his words made me smile, and I scolded myself for it. There was no doubt that I was still upset, but the most intense of the anger had dissipated after thinking things over for the last day and I was left only wanting to fix things before he left. I wished I could roll my eyes at him over text.

 _I trust you'll pick something appropriate, idiot,_ I responded.

 _You sure are placing a lot of faith in me… I'll can swing by your place around 11 tomorrow?_

I shook my head at his answer. _Hopefully it's not misplaced. I'll see you tomorrow then._

He didn't reply after that, but I was feeling a deep relief knowing that things already seemed to be on the road to recovery.

"I knew you wouldn't stay angry for long," Ran pointed out, obviously noting the alleviation in my demeanor.

I shot her a glare, and she giggled. Now all I had to do was pass the time until the following morning, and hopefully by this time tomorrow things would be as resolved as they could be given the circumstance.

* * *

Sorry if this seems a little repetitive from the manga .😅 I'm trying to make it different this time around to show character growth, I promise! I also apologize that this chapter is brief, it's been so long I wanted to have something for you guys to read haha.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello hello! Thanks again for putting up with my horrendous updating habits 😅 And much thanks to all the kind comments yall left me on the previous chapter :') I made it a lengthy one for you!

* * *

Somehow, I was more anxious than angry about meeting up with Ikuto today. I had spent half the night mulling over how things could go and I was fairly certain we would be alright once we had talked things over. Most of my frustration had dissipated in the few hours I had slept and I was left wondering what would happen after we talked, and after he left. And where exactly he was planning on taking me.

"You don't have any idea?" Suu asked while I was deciding what to where.

I shook my head. "No clue, he hasn't said anything else about it since yesterday," I explained.

Miki giggled. "A secret date, how exciting."

My face warmed. "It's not a date," I countered, but I didn't sound very convincing even to myself. It wasn't a date, was it? "We're just meeting up to talk ," I clarified as I scrutinized my outfit of choice.

"Then why are you putting so much thought into your appearance?" Miki pried.

"I'm just changing my clothes!" I argued, looking over myself again. I wasn't thrilled with my shirt anymore, but I knew changing it would only fuel Miki's point, so I left it as is. I tied my hair up quickly to avoid any further comments and went downstairs. Ikuto would probably be here shortly.

"You look nice today," my mom commented when I got to the living room.

I heard Miki laugh behind me. "It's just my usual style," I said casually, lacing up my shoes on the couch.

My mom smiled. "What time are you meeting Ikuto?" She asked.

"He'll probably be here in a few minutes."

Sh nodded. "Where are you two going?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet. He hasn't told me."

"It must be somewhere fun if he's keeping it a secret," she giggled.

Why did everyone think it was a secret just because he hadn't told me? It's not like I had asked him about it, but I made a mental note to when he got here just to clear it up.

"Ami-chan, turn this way!" I heard my dad's voice coming from the backyard and I froze.

"Is dad still home?" I asked my mom with newfound fear. I didn't mind so much if my mom and Ikuto crossed paths, but my dad was an entirely different story.

"Yes, but he just went outside to take pictures with your sister, I'm sure he'll hardly notice if someone shows up," she assured me, but it didn't do much to help my anxiety.

There was a knock at the door a moment later that made me jump.

"Ah, I guess he's here," my mom said, standing up and heading for the door. I tailed after her, wanting to leave as as soon as possible now that I knew my dad was just a few steps away from walking inside and having a meltdown.

"Good morning, Ikuto," My mom greeted when she opened the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Hinamori," he acknowledged in turn. He peeked around her and looked at me. If he was at all nervous about today, his face didn't show it. "Are you ready to head out?" He asked.

I stepped out from behind my mom, chiding myself for feeling so apprehensive. "Yep," I tried to say nonchalantly. "Where exactly are we going?" I asked, wanting to prove to everyone that it wasn't a secret.

The corners of Ikuto's mouth twitch upwards. "You'll see when we get there," he said. My eyes widened slightly as he confirmed what both my charas and my mom had been expecting.

I saw my mom grin. "You two have fun," she said. I heard a door close on the other side of the house and I inhaled sharply.

"Midori? Is someone here?" My dad's voice called from the kitchen.

"Time to go," my mom whispered, ushering me outside and shutting the door after me. "Just one of Amu's friends, dear!" I heard her holler back.

"Oh my, was that your father?" Ikuto asked, looking like he was about to peer in through the window. I tugged on his sleeve and dragged him a few steps down the sidewalk.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned him.

He followed after me down the path. "Why? You don't think your dad would like me?"

"My dad doesn't like boys as a whole," I reminded him and he just nodded.

When we got to the street I was surprised to see Aruto's car. "Did your dad drive you here?" I asked, amused at the thought of him dropping Ikuto off for our not-date.

Ikuto pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket and dangled them before me. "Nope, I drove myself."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You know how to drive?"

"Of course, I just usually prefer to walk," he commented as he got into the driver's seat.

I sat down on the passenger side. "Does that mean we are going somewhere far?" I questioned, trying to get some hint of where he was taking me.

He smiled. "Not that far," was all he said. I glared at him, but decided I'd know soon enough.

We made idle conversation on the drive to our mystery destination, and even though the silence in between was laced with a bit of unease, I was surprised by how normal things felt for the most part. It was comforting to know things weren't completely estranged after the intensity of the other day, but knowing there would be a serious discussion on the horizon left me unable to relax.

After driving for about twenty minutes, I vaguely started to recognize where we might be headed. "Are we going to the aquarium?" I questioned.

"Ah, I've been found out," he said as he turned down a street that couldn't really have lead anywhere else.

"Why did you want to keep that a secret?" I asked.

He just shrugged. "I thought it would be more fun that way," he explained. I pursed my lips. Perhaps he thought having this conversation in a more lighthearted place would make it less difficult.

I sighed. I guessed I would have to be the one to bring it up. "Did we come here to have fun or talk about the other night?" I asked reluctantly, wishing it was possible to ignore the latter and focus on the fun aspect.

He turned into the parking lot, appearing to weigh my words. "I thought we could try to do both," he said, briefly glancing at me. "If things go well, then we have a fun day ahead of us," he said, and it sounded like he was struggling to keep his tone unconcerned. "And if they don't," he added, but let the thought die.

I stared at him intently. Did he really think things could go that terribly? As angry as I had been two nights ago, I wasn't sure there was anything he could do to push me away that far. "How do you think this is going to go?" I blurted out before I could keep the question to myself.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I've kept a lot of secret from you in the past, Amu. I wouldn't blame you if you got sick of being around the person who has put you in the situation time and time again," he confessed.

I couldn't believe how much worse he'd managed to twist this in his mind. Even if he was right about it to a point, I knew he'd grown enough to not make a habit out of it. "Ikuto…" I found myself wanting to reassure him, but I knew if I did now, we'd end up skipping over other things that needed to be said, so I bit my tongue. "Let's just get inside and go from there," I said, trying not to sound overly exasperated.

He seemed to resign to that as he pulled into a parking spot. "We could always go somewhere else, if you don't want to go here," he proposed.

I shook my head. "No, this is fine. It's been a while since I've been here," I told him. And I was starting to think that being in a cheerful place like this might be more important than I originally thought.

He turned off the car and started getting out. "I haven't been here since you stole my key and I had to hunt it back down," he said, his expression no longer so somber, to my relief.

I got out and shut the door. "Hey! That wasn't my fault, that was Yoru's," I said defensively.

For a moment his eyes were nostalgic. It had probably been a while since he'd talked about him. "Yeah, but you fed into his troublesome nature," he remarked with a slight smile.

We walked up to the ticket booth at the front, but Ikuto pulled two pieces of paper out of his pocket and waved them at me. "I already bought them," he said.

"How sweet," Suu commented quietly. I elected to ignore her.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, following him into the entrance. That made it seem more like a date.

He gave the tickets to someone at the front and turned to face me. "'Thank you, Ikuto. That was very nice of you,' would also do," he said before walking inside.

I flushed at his comment, walking quickly to catch up with his strides. "Well, thanks," I muttered.

"Of course," he responded casually. "So, where did you want to go first?" he asked.

This felt so unusual. If the situation had been different, I would have been beyond nervous to be at a place like this with him, but there was that nagging at the back of my mind reminding me what we were here for and that was keeping me grounded. "I'm fine with just walking around for a bit," I said. There really wasn't much else to do here besides look at the exhibits when you weren't hunting down x-eggs or chasing after troublesome characters. Although somewhere between here and the entrance, Ran, Mki, Suu, and Dia had flown off on their own, so I'd be hunting them down later.

"Works for me," he said.

We began to aimlessly wander through the aquarium, stopping briefly at each tank to examine whatever life was in it, and then moving on. The last time I had been here, I didn't really get a chance to look around as much as I would have liked, and I couldn't help but be childishly fascinated by all the incredible and strange creatures they had.

"Woah, is that a shark?" I said, stopping when we got to a large glass hallway where the fish could swim right over our heads.

Ikuto chuckled beside me. "That's three sharks," he said, gesturing a bit behind the first one, where two more were following right after it.

I watched them as they passed. "I wonder how they keep them from eating the entire exhibit," I asked, but Ikuto didn't appear to have an answer for me and moved on.

The room beyond the transparent hallway must have been a new addition because I would have remembered seeing something like it when I was here last time. It was a stark change coming from the bright exhibit to this darkened room. The only source of light came from about a dozen or so cylinder tanks that were in rows across the room, extending from the floor to the mirror covered ceiling. Each tank was illuminated with either a blue, purple, pink, or orange light and it gave the exhibit and otherworldly feel to it, almost like we were deep beneath the ocean's surface with only scant rays of a sunset breaking through the water. I walked forward and examined the contents of the tank and realized they were filled with jellyfish, each one appearing to contain a different species. I was beaming as I took it all in.

"Did you know that they built this?" I asked Ikuto, but when I turned around to face him, he wasn't there. I spun around and met only the eyes of strangers. _I guess I must have lost him when I bee lined over to the first tank_ , I thought. I backtracked to the doorway and looked around for him there, but still couldn't see him. The dimness of the room wasn't as appealing when you were trying to look for someone. I weaved in and out of the first few rows of tanks, periodically stopping to look at the most peculiar looking jellyfish, and after a few minutes I spotted him absentmindedly reading a sign at the east wall of the room.

"Where did you get off to?" I asked when I was within range of him.

He turned his attention to me when I hollered. "I was just wandering around since you seemed to be on a mission," he explained, returning to examining something on the display.

I crossed my arms. "You could have wandered with me," I pointed out.

He shrugged. "I didn't feel like trying to keep up," he said without looking at me.

I frowned at him. It seemed like he was descending back into that negative headspace I had glimpsed when we were driving over here. Letting out a sigh, I pulled my phone from my bag and went to the camera. From where Ikuto was standing, the lighting from the display and the tank his right was casting a him in a blue and purple glow and it almost made him look like a model with that overly pensive gaze of his. Angling my phone properly, I snapped a picture of him, hoping such a forward act might bring him out of his slump.

At the very least, it caught his attention. "Did you just take my picture?" He asked, almost smiling.

"The lighting is really cool in this room," I told him.

"I see," he said with a nod, but no sly comment, to my disappointment.

I huffed at him but he either ignored it or didn't notice. "We should take a picture together," I suggested.

Still, not even the hint of an amused smirk. But he agreed to it nonetheless. I directed him over two a spot in between a blue and pink tank and snapped a portrait of us. Despite the negative atmosphere, I still managed to muster up a smile. Ikuto on the other hand was merely pursing his lips, and not in a happy way.

"You could try to look happier," I complained, reaching the end up my patience with him.

Ikuto just shrugged. "At least the lighting looks cool," he said, meandering over to a nearby placard. That comment pushed me over the edge. He said he wanted to come here to have fun, but he was making it just the opposite by acting like this.

"Hey!" I finally snapped at him, and that seemed to catch his attention, along with a few bystanders. "You said you wanted to come here so we could enjoy ourselves and talk, and right now we are not doing either of those," I told him. "I know we still need to talk, but right now I want to have fun spending time with you, not watch you mope around the exhibits." He seemed a little startled by my assertiveness, so I kept it going. I pulled out my phone and showed him the time. "It's twelve thirty right now. You have to stop being so depressing for the next thirty minutes, at least. You being stuck in some self-deprecating mindset isn't helping anything so just put all those negative thoughts aside for half an hour, please," I requested. He looked like he was debating it, so I added, "For me?" For good measure. That seemed to do it because he sighed and that alone seemed to release some of the tension from his face.

"Fine, you've worn me down," he conceded with slight smile that seemed genuine enough.

"Good. Now, I saw most of the exhibit while I was looking for you so I'm ready to move on if you are," I said.

He gestured towards the door. "Lead the way."

I felt much more at ease as we walked up a stairway from the jellyfish room. When we got to te next exhibit I had to squint at the sudden change of lighting. This room was as bright as it was outside with a sizable rocky enclosure at the center. There were a lot of people laughing and chattering in the room, but over all the noise I heard a distinct sound that could not have been anything other than…

"Penguins?!" I blurted excitedly. "Since when have they had penguins here?" I turned to Ikuto, who was looking much livelier now.

He appeared to be trying to conceal a grin, which only made me happier. "They've always had this exhibit, it's on their sign at the entrance," he explained.

"Really? I must have missed it," I said. "Come on, let's get a closer look," I urged him to follow me, but for half a heartbeat I almost started reaching for his hand.

We made our way to the edge of the open cage where one of the handlers was feeding sardines to a group of very vocal birds. I was almost expecting them to start ganging up on her to get her to dump the bucket on the ground, but they waited their turns, albeit impatiently. She was also offering fish to people collected around the edge of the tank so that they could throw them to the penguins. It probably also helped her keep some of them away from her for a few seconds, I noted with amusement. Eventually she passed one to me and a group of chubby birds waddled in my direction and started squawking at me expectantly. I giggled to myself. They were more keen towards sardines than Yoru ever was. Trying to keep a straight face, I offered the fish to Ikuto.

He shook his head. "It's all yours to throw," he declined.

I waved the fish around by its tail. "I was asking if you wanted it," I clarified, jokingly appealing to his catlike tendencies. He looked momentarily confused but I saw the correlation dawn on him after a moment. His face fell and he looked annoyed but mildly entertained.

"No," he said bluntly with the beginnings of a grin.

I laughed out loud and tossed the sardine into he tank, one of the penguins snatching it right out of the air with practiced ease.

We walked around the edge of the room and found a cluster of penguins happily skidding down a slide at the top corner of the enclosure. I clasped a hand over my mouth, overwhelmed.

"They're like little kids," I whispered fondly but winced when one made a particularly loud sound. "And as loud as them," I added, rubbing my ear. I looked at Ikuto and was surprised to see him just staring at me with an endearing smile. I blinked and cleared my throat. "Are you ready to go to the next room?" I asked, not prepared for that kind of expression when just a little while ago he was captain sadness.

"Sure," he said, stepping ahead of me, and I tailed after him.

The next room wasn't as exciting as the penguins, but it was extensive and filled with all sorts of exotic fish. As we roamed the exhibit, we came to a tank that had a school of lanky indigo fish and the first thought that came to my head made me laugh.

"What?" Ikuto asked, looking puzzled.

I pointed to the group of fish I had been looking at. "Those ones back there look like you," I said, trying to suppress a grin.

He looked perplexed, but he was wearing a crooked smile. "How do those look like me?"

"They're blue and skinny," I pointed out.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Good to know those are the two words you associate with my appearance most," he said, then he peered around the tank. "Well, then that one looks like you," he said, pointing to an ugly pink fish at the back of the tank with two strange looking horns protruding from its head.

"What!" I said, getting ready to hit him but he was already walking off to the next exhibit.

I caught up to him as he was peering at the last glass in the hallway. A school of yellow fish with black masks swam by. "Looks like this is it," he said.

His tone was more somber than it should have been if he had simply been regarding the last tank at the aquarium. I glanced around and saw a clock on the far wall read that it was a few minutes after one. I guessed he meant there was no more putting this conversation off.

There were only a few people in this part of the building, and there was an unoccupied bench at the end of the hall. I walked over to it and sat down and he slowly did the same. We were both silent for a while. Although I had initially planned to let him do most of the talking, after hearing him speak so seriously when we first arrived, I felt compelled to clear up my side first.

"So," I started, and saw him look over to me. I sighed. "The other night I kind of went off and maybe let my emotions speak too much for me. After thinking things over, I realized that you were in a tough spot. I'm sure you spent a lot of time worrying over how to tell me you were leaving, but you still shouldn't have kept it from me for as long as you did. Learning that you were hiding that from me honestly hurt worse than knowing you were leaving. I felt like after everything we've been through… I thought you would have trusted me more," I paused for a moment. "I don't expect you to share every single aspect of your life with me all the time. It's normal to want to keep certain things to yourself, but something like that was important for me to know, maybe not as soon as you found out, but at least soon after, you know? Because this wasn't something that affected just you," I tried to explain as objectively as I could.

Ikuto's expression was very serious as he took in my words. I decided I should say something to alleviate the air a bit. "I've mostly gotten over it, but if you ever pull something like this again, you're gonna end up on my mom's bad side," I added in a lighter tone. As I had hoped, his worry lined face softened.

"You told your mom about what happened?" He asked, sounding both guilty and slightly amused.

I crossed my arms. "I consulted her a bit about it, yes," I replied.

"I see," he nodded thoughtfully. "Well, even so, I should have figured out a better way to explain it to you. Having you find out from my dad was… It wasn't okay for me to hide it from you just because I was afraid of seeing you hurt, especially since that ended up just making it worse than it could have been. I should have trusted you to be able to handle it, because I know you are strong enough to deal with these sorts of things. I just wish I had been strong enough to be honest with you about it from the beginning," he explained and the intensity of his words made my face heat up.

"Well, as long as you understand that now," I said, not knowing what else to say to that. I glanced at him and saw something in his eyes that hinted he wasn't finished.

"From now on, I promise I'll make more of an effort be completely honest with you," he continued. "I love you, Amu. You know I do, and the last thing I want to do is leave you again, but it's important for me to do this, and to embrace this part of myself. Do you understand?" He finished, fixing me with a steady gaze.

I stared back at him, feeling my face turn a deeper shade of red. I had not been prepared for him to say something like that so abruptly. I turned away from him, feeling overwhelmed. "O-of course, you have to follow your heart, so I understand," I replied nervously.

Ikuto leaned over and rested his chin against his hand, angling his face to look at me. "Hmm, but my heart is also telling me to stay here with you," he said, giving me a calculating look.

"Well you can't do both, so you have to pick one," I stumbled out, his sudden confession dissolving any remaining anger I might have been holding onto.

Ikuto sat up, still looking at me. "What do you think I should do?" He questioned.

"Huh?" I asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Do you think I should go or stay here?" He clarified.

I was surprised by his question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I value your opinion," he said matter-of-factly.

Did he really want to know what I thought? Would it somehow change his mind? I looked at my knees as I considered it. I was upset that he was leaving again, and I would have been happy if he stayed, but in my heart I knew I couldn't ask him to do that. It wouldn't be fair. As I was right now... Even if I was confident enough in my feelings for him, I knew that I wasn't sure enough of myself to even think about the prospect of being in something as serious as a relationship. As much as it pained me to think about, I knew it was better for him, for both of us really, if he left. It was like Dia had said, perhaps we both needed to grow before we could be together. It would be hard being away from him, but if it would be better for both of us in the end, I was sure it would be worth it.

I finally looked back at him. "I think you should go. Even though I'll be a little lonely while you're gone, you're on a journey to discover yourself and follow your dreams. What kind of person would I be if I tried to hold you back from that?" I answered, happy to have come to that conclusion myself.

He looked at me with an awestruck expression that faded into a smile so sincere it made my heart skip. "Thank you," he said.

I looked at him, wondering what was going through his mind. I decided I may as well ask him, while we were putting everything on the table. "You're wearing a stupid grin, what are you thinking about?"

"Having your support means more than you know," he said. I had a feeling it was more than that but I didn't press. I placed my hands on my knees, not sure where to go from here.

"So when do you leave exactly?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow," he replied, sadness and anticipation mingling in his tone. "It's hard to believe it's happening so soon."

I rolled my eyes. "Imagine how I feel," I said, but there was no bitterness as I spoke those words. Ikuto shot me a worried look, but I waved it off. "Are you and your family doing anything special tomorrow before you go?"

"Not really, but I think the Tadase and his parents may be coming over for dinner. Why?"

I shrugged. "Just curious," I replied. A part of me wanted to spend more time with him before he left, but I'd feel bad about imposing on his family.

"Well, you are welcome to come over too, if you'd like," he offered casually, but I thought I glimpsed some expectancy in his eyes.

I smiled, relieved by the invitation. "I think I could probably swing by for a little while," I said non committedly.

"You think? You don't want to see me the day before I leave?" He pouted, even though I was sure he knew I fully intended to go.

I crossed my arms at him. "Just let me know what time to go over and I'll be there," I rephrased and he looked pleased at that.

"Great," he said, then he stood up and offered me his hand. "Are you ready to head back?"

I blinked at him and turned my attention to his outstretched hand. Of course I wanted to take it, but the thought of reaching out and grabbing it made my heart flutter. Thankfully, I didn't have to make the decision myself, because after a few painfully long moments Ikuto leaned over a took my hand himself, lifting me off the bench. "Come on, I don't want to be here until they close," he teased. I frowned as I followed after him but I didn't say anything, happy enough to just be holding his hand.

We backtracked through the exhibits without lingering for too long at any of them until we got back to the jellyfish room.

"Wait," I stopped Ikuto from walking any farther. My hand slipped out of his and I instantly missed its warmth. "You owe me a picture here. That one from earlier was terrible," I told him.

"I suppose I do," he replied. We found the spot where the pink and blue tanks were and took a much more cheerful picture. I would need to collect all the photos I could before he was gone.

"Is that one going to be your new wallpaper?" Ikuto questioned with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him, getting ready to start towards the exit again when I remembered that Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia were still roaming the aquarium somewhere.

I let out a sigh. "We have to hunt down my charas before we leave," I said reluctantly.

Ikuto peered around the exhibit and then pointed to a spot near the door. "They're over there."

"What?" I said. Sure enough, they were making faces in an orange tank on the other side of the room. "How did you know where to look?" I asked.

Ikuto let out a laugh. "They've been following us the entire time, you didn't notice?"

My mouth fell open a bit and then I groaned into my hands, feeling the heat radiating from my cheeks. "I should have guessed as much."

I felt a hand on my back push my gently forward. "Come on, let's got gather them up and you can decide what to do with them," Ikuto said.

After collecting my charas up and nearly drowning them when they laughed at my expense, we left the aquarium. Ikuto drove me back to my house, the drive free of the tension the ride there had been laced with. When we pulled up outside my house I saw Ikuto getting ready to get out of the car.

"You don't have to walk me to the door," I told him, worried my dad might be lurking around somewhere.

Ikuto gave me a curious look. "You really don't want me to meet your dad, do you?" He guessed.

"It's not that I don't want you to meet him, I just don't want him to meet you," I explained as I unbuckled myself.

Ikuto shook his head. "One of these days he's going to have to."

"But not today," I said, opening the door and swinging me legs out. "Um, thank you for today, by the way," I added as I stood up. "I'm glad it worked out like it did."

Ikuto gave me a genuine smile that shifted into a more devious one after a pause. "It was a fun date," he said.

My charas cackled behind me as a I blushed. "I-I'll see you tomorrow," I stammered out before shutting the door with unnecessary force. I could hear him laughing through the glass before he sped off, leaving me frazzled on the sidewalk. I scratched at my head. "Jeez, he's already back to joking around," I muttered.

"I don't think he was joking, Amu-chan," Suu said with a small grin.

I started towards my front door not knowing what to think. Had it really been a date?

I walked inside and saw my mom reading a magazine on the couch. "I'm home," I said, unlacing my shoes.

"Welcome back," she said with a smile. "How was your date?" She asked in a softer voice.

I hadn't decided yet if I was going to deny it was a date or tell her how it actually went before I heard the sound of my dad exclaim hysterically from somewhere else in the house. I stared wide-eyed at my mom. "Why would you say that out loud?" I whispered harshly.

My mom looked apologetic as she said, "I thought he was upstairs with your sister."

I stood rigidly next to the couch as my dad entered them room. "You were on a date?" He asked, looking heartbroken and exasperated all at once.

I waved my hands and opened my mouth to deny it, but once again I was interrupted, this time by Ami. "Were you with Ikuto-niisan?" She asked excitedly.

"Ikuto? Midori, isn't that the older boy you told me about?" My dad turned to my mom with a devastated expression. If I hadn't been in this situation, I would have been curious to know when my mom had mentioned Ikuto to him.

My mom tried to wave off his concern but I could tell even she was unsure if she would be able to throw him off. "I was only teasing her, honey. The two of them went out with some of their other friends," she lied and I quickly built off of it.

"Utua, Ikuto, and I went to the movies together! We were just hanging out," I added to the deception.

"Amu-chan, he's so old, please, my heart couldn't bare it," he said over dramatically, leaning against the couch for support.

"I promise it wasn't a date," I feebly reassured him. I felt a little bad for lying, but since my mom had gotten me into this situation I didn't feel _that_ bad.

He looked like he didn't quite believe me, but he seemed to have accepted defeat for now. He muttered something incomprehensible as he went back to what he was doing in the other room, Ami tailing after him. I prayed to whatever powers that be that she didn't say anything to undermine me anymore than my mom just had.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, putting her hands together.

I let out a long sigh, glad that the chaos was short lived. "It's fine, and it was fine," I said, addressing her previous question. "We went to the aquarium and we talked everything out, so that's a lot of stress off my shoulders. And tomorrow his family and Tadase's are having dinner together, so I was probably going to go to that if that's okay," I asked.

My mom smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Please give Ikuto my best wishes if I don't see him again before he leaves," she said. I told her that I would and went up to my room.

"What a day," I sighed, letting my hair down.

"It seemed like it went well though, considering how things were just a couple days ago," Miki pointed and I agreed with her as I dropped onto my bed.

"I'm relieved everything is back to normal," Suu said contentedly.

I wished I could have agreed with that, too, but I couldn't. Even though Ikuto and I had thankfully managed to work out our issues without too much trouble… He was still leaving. In two days. And then what would happen? I knew that it was best for him to go because it was what would make him happiest, and that meant everything to me. It didn't stop it from hurting though. My heart clenched at the thought of him being gone again. I had grown so accustomed to seeing him all the time this summer and readjusting to his absence was going to be hard even with school starting soon to distract me. And how long was he going to be gone for? I had to remember to ask him that tomorrow.

What would happen once he left? What if the distance proved to be too much and he forgot about me? Or found someone else? It didn't happen last time so it seemed unlikely, but the future was so uncertain, especially with him being so far away. I didn't even know where he was going this time! I'd have to ask him that, too. _Maybe I should write down a list of questions that need answering._

"Is everything okay, Amu-chan?" Dia's voice disrupted my runaway train of thought.

"Just the uncertainty of the future eating away at me again," I muttered. My relief from earlier had been so fleeting.

"What are you worrying about?" She asked.

 _Everything_. But that was too much and too ambiguous to drop on them. "I just wish things were easier," I settled on.

Dia tilted her head. "Things will get easier, and they'll also get more difficult," she reassured me in an oddly discouraging way. "Remember what your mom said when you first told her about your feelings for Ikuto? 'Even if everything seems complicated now, you're still so young.' You have all the time in the world to figure things out, Amu-chan. You shouldn't try to will it to happen faster than it is supposed to. Wish as you may that things were easier, this is how life is going to be right now, and it's better to follow it than wonder what could have been," she explained thoughtfully.

I vaguely remembered that conversation with my mom, and it made me feel a little better. "I just can't help but think of everything we are going to miss out on by being apart again," I added.

"Then you gotta try to squeeze in what you can while you can!" Ran said.

"But without rushing it," Dia reminded.

"That sounds about right," I complained at their contradictory advice.

"You could tell him how you really feel," Ran suggested.

"A confession before you part ways would be quite a romantic scene," Miki pointed out.

I blushed at the thought. _You'll tell me when you're ready_. Those words Ikuto had spoken at the beginning of summer rang in my ears again unbidden. Was I ready to tell him? And tell him what exactly? Saying something like 'I love you' seemed too intense, even if in my heart I felt it. So what was there to say?

"How do I tell someone I love them without actually saying that I love them outright?" I asked, not sure that any of them would have an answer for me.

"You could show him," Miki cackled. I looked at her and she was making a kissy face at me.

I glared at her and resisted the urge to throw something in her direction. "Absolutely not."

"You could write him a letter," Suu proposed. "We could help you!"

"After the last time I let you guys help me write something to the person I liked? That's also gonna be a no," I said, cringing as I thought back to the sappy love note they had written to Tadase for me.

"Hmm, maybe you could just tell him you care about him and you are confident in those feelings? That seems pretty close to an 'I have feelings for you'," Ran offered.

I weighed her suggestion. It actually sounded like a pretty reasonable way to go about telling him, so long as he didn't ask me to specify those feelings.

"I think I might try to do that," I replied.

"This should be exciting to watch," Miki commented.

"I have half a mind to leave you all at home with Ami after what the four of you pulled today," I threatened. The look on their faces assured me they'd be on their best behavior, but that was always prone to changing with the four of them. But at the very least I'd come to my own conclusion.

Tomorrow I'd make my feelings known.

* * *

Yay! I'm so excited to be moving on to the lighter parts of this story. Drama is fun but fluff will be a nice change ^_^ I only have two chapters left that are actually plotted out, which is a little scary because after that I'm gonna have to sit down and plan out the second half of this story :|

I also apologize for the pacing of this chapter... Once again, I felt as thought I was rushing some parts and over extending the others. But thank you once again for reading! See you soon :)


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